By: Hafizur Rahman
Maungdaw, August 3, 2025
In northern Rakhine’s Maungdaw Township, residents are witnessing two alarming developments: the Arakan Army (AA) is reportedly selling property and belongings seized from Rohingya families, while at the same time, AA troops are withdrawing from northern Maungdaw and redeploying to southern zones ahead of an anticipated junta offensive.
Seized Rohingya Property Being Sold Back to Communities
On August 1, AA soldiers reportedly began selling motorcycles, solar panels, and other personal items that had been confiscated during last year’s battle for control over Maungdaw town. Eyewitnesses confirmed that motorcycles worth over 1 million kyat were being sold for 600,000–700,000 kyat, while Chinese-made models fetched around 200,000 kyat.
“These are the very motorcycles they looted from our neighborhoods. Now they’re selling them back to us,” said a Rohingya man from the southern outskirts of Maungdaw.
The items on sale include solar panels, batteries, and fishing engines—essentials for rural life, most of which were forcibly taken from Rohingya homes between August and November 2024, following the AA’s seizure of Border Guard Police Headquarters No. 5.
At that time, the AA forced thousands of Rohingya families to flee, claiming that conflict was imminent. People were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The AA reportedly assured them their properties would be protected, but residents now say those belongings were looted and transferred in trucks toward Buthidaung.
Local estimates suggest Maungdaw once held over 5,000 vehicles, including motorbikes, bicycles, and private cars. Many of these are now being resold by AA-affiliated individuals or operatives in open markets across Maungdaw Township.
Community leaders are calling this practice “organized looting disguised as commerce.”
AA Troops Quietly Exit North Maungdaw, Shift South
At the same time, AA’s visible military presence in northern Maungdaw has drastically reduced. Residents report that bases previously housing 20 to 30 soldiers now hold only a handful, and several AA flags once flying over compounds have been removed without explanation.
“For the last two days, we haven’t seen a single AA soldier in town. Only one police post remains, guarded by about a dozen officers,” said a resident of Maungdaw’s Ward (3).
Sources claim that trucks carrying soldiers and heavy weapons from Buthidaung have been moving southward—likely in preparation for a possible clash with junta forces, who have recently declared military administration across 14 towns in Rakhine, including Maungdaw.
A local Rakhine man reported that AA fighters have instructed civilians to lie to journalists, warning them to say “there are many soldiers in town” even if there are none. Those who disobey risk serious punishment, he added.
Rohingya Communities Caught in the Middle
For the Rohingya population, these developments only deepen the climate of fear, surveillance, and deprivation. Residents speak of constant threats of arbitrary arrest, forced evictions, and extortion by AA members, even as they brace for renewed conflict with junta forces.
“We are afraid of both sides. Our properties are looted, our movements restricted, and now we live with no protection and no justice,” said a displaced Rohingya resident.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. With property gone, aid restricted, and military buildup intensifying, displaced families say they are trapped between armed forces, both claiming control but neither ensuring safety.
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