AA Accused of Detaining Rohingya in Forced Labour Camp

Rohingya survivors have accused the Arakan Army (AA) of detaining dozens of men, women, and children in prison-like labour camps in northern Rakhine State, forcing them to work under abusive conditions before ultimately expelling them to Bangladesh.

Sharif, a 29-year-old Rohingya man, told The New Humanitarian that after nearly three months in detention, he and 77 others were given an ultimatum: remain in captivity in Myanmar or return to the overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh where food rations are dwindling and security is deteriorating.

“We can’t stay here any longer. After suffering three months in detention, we cannot survive in prison. We have decided to return to Bangladesh,” Sharif recalled the elders telling the group.

Forced Labour and Abuse

The detainees – including 20 women and 33 children – were separated by gender and subjected to forced labour for six hours each day. They were ordered to clean drains, repair bridges, build roads, and even clean homes in nearby Rakhine villages. At night, prison doors were locked, and armed guards watched over them.

“Everyone had to work, even if they were unwell. If anyone refused, they were beaten,” said Bilal, 18, who was forced back to Cox’s Bazar after his detention.

Women were reportedly forced to wash uniforms, clean fish, and perform domestic labour for AA soldiers. Witnesses described severe beatings, including of women who pleaded to rest due to illness. Even mothers with newborn babies were not spared.

“I was forced to work even while my daughter was crying, and when she cried, they treated me so badly,” said Shamima, a mother detained with her two-month-old baby.

Both men and women described being deprived of clean water, proper food, and medicine. Children as young as 12 were used as water carriers and porters.

Extortion and Expulsion

Detainees reported that AA members demanded payments of up to 2 million kyat (about $950) from families before allowing release. Those unable to pay were threatened with re-imprisonment.

“They confiscated the money we had, saying it was for medical expenses,” Sharif said. “We had no choice but to leave.”

The AA, which now controls much of Rakhine State, has consistently denied targeting civilians. However, rights activists and researchers in Cox’s Bazar say forced labour, extortion, and abuses against Rohingya are widespread.

Ejaz Min Khant, a researcher, noted that “nearly 50% of the new arrivals I interviewed in Bangladesh reported facing these exact conditions.”

Growing Violence in Arakan

Beyond forced labour, the AA has also been accused of mass killings and drone attacks targeting Rohingya villages. Bilal, who has fled Myanmar twice, said his village saw more than 100 people killed within two months in 2024.

“I lost all hope for my life. I thought I would die there,” he told reporters.

Rights groups warn that both the AA and the Myanmar junta continue to subject the Rohingya to atrocities, perpetuating a genocidal campaign that has already displaced over a million people.

A Cycle of Fear and Flight

For many Rohingya, neither Myanmar nor Bangladesh offers safety. Conditions in Cox’s Bazar – now the world’s largest refugee camp – remain dire, with little prospect for resettlement or return. Yet repeated cycles of violence and persecution inside Myanmar force Rohingya to risk dangerous journeys back and forth across the border.

Sharif himself has tried three times to live in Cox’s Bazar – in 2017, 2024, and 2025 – but each time returned to Myanmar hoping for safety. Instead, he faced renewed abuse and displacement.

As the Arakan Army tightens its grip on Arakan State, Rohingya civilians find themselves trapped between armed groups, statelessness, and exile – with no safe place to call home.

Rohingya Vision News