By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw & Buthidaung, Rakhine State
Two Rohingya children under the age of five have reportedly died of acute diarrhea while being held in Arakan Army (AA) custody in Maungdaw, northern Rakhine State. The children were among 72 detainees, including 30 men, 42 women, and several children, arrested on April 26 after returning to Shwezar village tract following years of displacement.
Sources from within the community told Rohingya Khobor that the lack of clean water, adequate food, and access to medical care directly contributed to the deaths. Despite repeated pleas from families, no humanitarian access or relief has been granted to those in custody, including vulnerable children and elderly individuals.
“They haven’t let us send water or medicine. People are getting only plain rice once a day, and now children are dying inside,” said a relative of one detainee from Shwezar.
“We hear the children crying from thirst. They are trapped and helpless,” added another resident from Kyauk Hlay Gar village.
The Arakan Army claims the detained returnees entered Rakhine illegally and are subject to up to six months of imprisonment. However, Rohingya villagers argue that many of these families are simply trying to return to their homes after spending years in refugee camps or informal settlements, without documentation or resettlement guarantees.
“People are coming back because they have no future in the camps,” said a resident of Myo Thu Gyi village. “But the AA treats them as criminals. If you want to stay in a shelter, they demand 100,000 kyats per person. That’s not resettlement—it’s extortion.”
No official response has been issued by AA leadership regarding the children’s deaths or the critical health conditions of the remaining detainees.
AA Imposes Forced Taxes, Labor, and Recruitment on Rohingya in Buthidaung
In a separate but connected development, residents of Ponnyo Laip village in Buthidaung Township report that the Arakan Army is enforcing monthly taxes, compulsory labor, and military recruitment quotas on the local Rohingya population. Each household is required to pay between 5,000 to 10,000 kyats monthly, regardless of their economic situation.
Villagers say the AA collects approximately 1.4 million kyats per month from the community. In addition to financial taxes, families are regularly assigned unpaid labor tasks, including infrastructure work, logistics, and patrol support.
More concerning, families are being pressured to send at least one member—often a teenager—to serve in the AA’s ranks. Those unwilling or unable to comply must pay others to take their place.
“If someone refuses to go to war, they must pay to send someone else. Sometimes parents are told to send their son or daughter, or pay extra,” a local resident told Rohingya Khobor.
A Community Under Siege—Twice Over
Ponnyo Laip was one of several Rohingya villages devastated by fighting between the AA and the Myanmar military in early 2024, which resulted in over 30 civilian deaths and the displacement of the entire Rohingya population from the area. Despite returning under AA control, the community remains in a state of insecurity, hunger, and forced compliance.
“People have no food, no safety, no freedom,” said a resident. “Still, they are forced to pay taxes, work for free, and send their children to war.”
These reports form part of a growing body of evidence indicating that the Arakan Army, while projecting itself as a force of ethnic liberation, is exerting coercive control over vulnerable populations—particularly stateless Rohingya communities who lack legal protection, political voice, or viable alternatives.
With supply chains cut off, international aid restricted, and independent access blocked, Rohingya families trapped inside northern Arakan face an impossible choice: remain in camps without rights, or return home only to suffer under new systems of economic, military, and humanitarian oppression.
