Myanmar’s Arakan Army has abducted Border News Agency reporter Mu Dra, prompting urgent calls for her release as press freedom continues to erode in the country’s conflict zones.

 

Mu Dra was taken from her home in Maungdaw, Rakhine state, at 11am on 20 September, according to a statement from her news outlet and communications with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). She is reportedly being held incommunicado at the rebel group’s intelligence office.

 

Known for her reporting on human rights abuses and conflict in Rakhine, Mu Dra regularly documented forced recruitment and violence against civilians. Her editor-in-chief, Kaung Mrat Naing, confirmed her detention and expressed concern for her safety.

 

The CPJ condemned the abduction, urging the Arakan Army to release her immediately. “All combatants in Myanmar’s civil war have a responsibility to protect and not target journalists,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s Southeast Asia representative.

 

The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group formed in 2009, controls 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships and has grown increasingly assertive since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup. Rebel factions have routinely targeted journalists, contributing to Myanmar’s ranking as the world’s third-worst jailer of media workers, with 35 currently imprisoned.

 

The group has not responded to requests for comment. As Mu Dra remains in custody, her case underscores the peril faced by journalists covering Myanmar’s civil war—and the urgent need for international pressure to safeguard press freedom.

 

 

-2025-09-24

Another war for DT' to end 🤔