By: Hafizur Rahman
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – July 26, 2025
As the humanitarian crisis deepens in northern Arakan State, two separate but harrowing stories have emerged—one of a Rohingya family forced to flee Myanmar a second time due to Arakan Army (AA) threats, and another of a young man who died in Bangladesh after months of suffering from torture injuries sustained during AA detention.
Rohingya Family Flees Back to Bangladesh After Facing Threats and Torture by Arakan Army
On July 25, Mohammad Zubair (42) and his family—wife Nur Tahera (38), sons Jiabur Rahman (13), Mohammad Rehan (4), and daughter Rumaya Begum (7)—crossed the Naf River from northern Maungdaw and returned to Bangladesh. Their return comes months after participating in a voluntary repatriation attempt, during which they had hoped to rebuild their lives in their village.
“We went back hoping to start over, but things only got worse,” Zubair told Rohingya Khobor. “The Arakan Army came to our house and demanded 500,000 kyats. I had no way to pay. They tortured my family in my absence. If I had been home, I don’t think I would’ve survived.”
The family had initially sought refuge in Bangladesh last year after AA pressure escalated in their area. They returned to Maungdaw with the belief that conditions had improved. But according to Zubair and his relatives, the environment remains hostile, with intimidation, forced extortion, and arbitrary arrests continuing unabated.
They are now sheltering in Camp 24, Teknaf, where humanitarian workers are assessing their situation.
Rohingya Youth Dies in Bangladesh from Torture Injuries Sustained in AA Detention
In a separate but equally disturbing development, Muhammad Ershad, an 18-year-old Rohingya youth, died on July 26 in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar from injuries inflicted during his months-long detention by the Arakan Army.
Ershad was arrested on May 29, 2024, while living in temporary shelter in Buthidaung. He was held for over seven months—including time at the Nyaung Chaung Detention Center—where he endured electric shocks, beatings, starvation, and prolonged abuse. His release on December 30, 2024, came too late to reverse the damage: one of his legs was amputated, and he remained in poor physical and mental health until his death at around 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
Family members say Ershad never recovered from the trauma. “He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t walk. He had nightmares,” said a cousin. “His body left prison, but his pain never did.”
Ershad’s suffering began after the AA attacked his village, Sain Nyin Pyin, on May 17, 2024, displacing his family and forcing them into makeshift shelters. His death has reignited calls for accountability over widespread abuse of Rohingya civilians under AA control.
