Rohingya Face New Abuses as Arakan Army Tightens Grip in Rakhine

Mohamad Ponir, HWR

Bangkok — The Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, has imposed harsh restrictions and committed serious human rights abuses against the Rohingya Muslim community, Human Rights Watch said in a new report.

Once seen by some as a potential counter to Myanmar’s oppressive military junta, the AA is now drawing international condemnation for mistreatment eerily similar to that of the very regime it opposes. In areas it now controls, Rohingya residents report arbitrary arrests, forced labour, extortion, confiscation of property, and restrictions on movement and livelihood.

“Life under the Arakan Army’s control was incredibly restrictive,” said a 62-year-old Rohingya man who fled to Bangladesh in June. “We couldn’t work, farm, or move without permission—and there was no food. We begged from neighbours just to survive.”

The AA promised inclusive governance when it began seizing territory from the junta in late 2023. But Rohingya accounts tell a darker story. From April to July 2025, Human Rights Watch interviewed 12 recently arrived refugees in Bangladesh, who described brutal curfews, travel permits costing more than a day’s wages, and frequent detentions — especially targeting those suspected of links to rival groups or the military.

A 57-year-old father fled after AA recruiters sought his teenage son. “I hid him in different villages for two months,” he said. “When they couldn’t find him, they detained me for 35 days and later burned our house down.”

Others describe being beaten, used as forced labour, and sent to the front lines as human shields. A 19-year-old man said he was abducted and forced to work for five months. “They mocked us and called us slurs. We asked to be treated equally — they laughed.”

Since late 2023, the conflict in Rakhine has displaced over 400,000 people, with more than 200,000 fleeing to Bangladesh. Smuggling networks — some reportedly involving armed groups — are profiting from the chaos, charging refugees up to US$600 per person to cross the border.

Bangladesh has registered 120,000 new arrivals since May, while many more remain undocumented and without aid. Dhaka insists repatriation is the only long-term solution, but the UN says conditions for safe return are far from met.

Human Rights Watch is calling on donors and governments to step up pressure on the Arakan Army and ensure protection for Rohingya communities on both sides of the border.

-2025-07-29