Minara, a 52-year-old Rohingya woman from Foyiza Para in Maungdaw, shares a harrowing account of the recent escalation of violence in the region, which has forced her and her family to flee their homeland once again.
“We were peaceful after 2017,” Minara recalls, her voice trembling with the weight of memories. “But now, Rakhine rebels have started attacking us with drones. They target our homes. They kill without mercy.”
Minara describes the terror that descended upon her community when drones, operated by Rakhine rebels, began to appear in the skies over Maungdaw. One drone malfunctioned, crashing onto a rooftop and destroying an entire house. “They attacked our homes after checking them. If a family member was inside, they killed everyone in that house,” she explains. “The drones would cause serious injuries, even if they were slightly off-target.”
For Minara, the nightmare reached a personal crescendo when her husband, a devout Muslim, was martyred on the road after returning from Esha prayers. “We didn’t want to leave, but after that, we knew we couldn’t stay in Burma any longer,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes.
Desperation set in as more drones appeared. Minara and her family decided to flee, but the journey was fraught with peril. They encountered another family, also victims of drone attacks, near a river. “Three of them were killed, including a young woman. The rest were injured. We did our best to help them, but we were all just trying to survive.”
After days of fear and uncertainty, Minara’s family finally managed to escape to Bangladesh. “We reached Boraitoli, where kind people gave us shelter, food, and a place to wash. But the journey wasn’t over.”
The cost of their escape was steep. The ferryman who brought them across the border demanded a payment of 1.5 lakh Bangladeshi Taka for the 10 members of Minara’s group. With no money, Minara’s family had to sell 8-10 annas of gold to cover the cost. “Even then, they didn’t give us a bottle of cold water,” she recalls bitterly.
Now, in Bangladesh, Minara’s family struggles to survive. They rent a small room for 3,500 Taka a month, relying on the 5,000 Taka sent by a niece in Malaysia to make ends meet. “We’re starving,” Minara says. “But at least we’re alive.”
The plight of Minara and countless other Rohingya refugees highlights the ongoing atrocities in Rakhine State and the dire need for international intervention. Their stories are a stark reminder that the violence in Myanmar is far from over, and that for many, the struggle for survival continues.
