SS News Desk
Bangkok, July 29, 2025:
The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, is imposing harsh restrictions and committing serious abuses against Rohingya Muslims, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report.
Following territorial gains since renewed fighting in November 2023, the AA has subjected Rohingya communities to arbitrary detention, forced labor, severe movement restrictions, and extortion. HRW warns these actions mirror long-standing atrocities by Myanmar’s military, including apartheid-like policies.
Rohingya refugees interviewed in Bangladesh described life under AA control as severely repressive. Residents of Buthidaung township said they were barred from farming or traveling without costly permits. Curfews and threats of arrest were widespread, and many reported being displaced multiple times.
The AA has confiscated farmland, homes, and even cemeteries, while forcibly recruiting young Rohingya men and boys, often targeting poor families. “They tried to take my son. When I refused, they beat me and burned our home,” said a 62-year-old refugee.
Some Rohingya were used as human shields or forced to work without pay. One former detainee reported being beaten for over a month while falsely accused of military ties.
Clashes have also reignited between the AA and Rohingya armed groups, including ARSA, worsening communal tensions and fueling mass displacement. Over 400,000 people have been internally displaced, and around 200,000 have fled to Bangladesh since late 2023.
HRW called on the Arakan Army to end its abuses and urged international donors and governments to increase protections for Rohingya and oppose any premature repatriation to Myanmar.
Source: HRW Press Release
