Residents say Rohingya communities are being required not only to provide young men for military recruitment but also to pay for recruits’ salaries and food.
by RK Desk
SITTWE, Arakan, 15 August 2026: Rohingya residents in Sittwe are reportedly being forced to provide money to support a new Myanmar military recruitment drive, adding a financial burden to communities already facing pressure to supply young men for military service.
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reported on 13 August that Myanmar military authorities had instructed Rohingya elders from five wards in Sittwe to prepare lists of men aged between 18 and 35 for recruitment.
According to DVB, the order was communicated during a meeting in late July involving Rohingya community elders and Kyaw Thura, the military administration’s Rakhine State Minister for Security and Border Affairs.
The report said authorities were seeking recruits from Rohingya neighbourhoods including Aung Mingalar, Impala, Kondan and Bumay.
Residents told DVB that communities were also being compelled to provide money for the monthly salaries and daily food costs of those recruited.
“The military is preparing to defend Sittwe with Rohingya recruits,” one resident told DVB anonymously.
If confirmed, the financing requirement would mean Rohingya communities are being forced both to provide men for military service and to bear part of the financial cost of deploying them.
Recruitment Pressure Around Sittwe
The latest account follows previous reports that Myanmar military authorities have been expanding recruitment among Rohingya communities in and around Sittwe.
Rohingya residents have faced repeated allegations of coercive recruitment since Myanmar’s military activated its conscription law in 2024, as fighting intensified with the Arakan Army (AA).
The military continues to control Sittwe, while the AA has captured most of Rakhine State and has placed increasing military pressure on remaining junta-held areas.
DVB reported that authorities instructed Rohingya elders to prepare recruitment lists involving men aged 18 to 35.
However, details of the quota remain unclear. Different parts of DVB’s report describe the requirement differently, making it uncertain whether the reported quota applies collectively across the affected communities or separately to each ward or displacement camp.
Rohingya Khobor is therefore not independently confirming a specific monthly recruitment figure at this stage.
Communities Asked to Pay
The new allegation concerning salaries and food adds another dimension to the recruitment pressure.
Rohingya residents in Sittwe have lived under severe restrictions for years, including limits on movement and access to livelihoods.
Forcing residents to finance military recruits would further increase the burden on households already facing economic hardship and insecurity.
The allegations are particularly significant because Myanmar continues to deny most Rohingya full citizenship rights while reportedly seeking to conscript members of the community for military service.
DVB cited anonymous local residents for the financial allegations. Rohingya Khobor has not independently verified the payment requirement or obtained a copy of any official order setting out the recruitment and financing arrangements.
The Myanmar military authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
