AA Tightens Grip on Rohingya in Buthidaung

Buthidaung & Maungdaw, Northern Rakhine | May 3, 2025 — Under the expanding control of the United League of Arakan (ULA) and its armed wing, the Arakan Army (AA), Rohingya civilians in northern Rakhine are facing unprecedented levels of repression and abuse.

According to recent reports from the ground, Rohingya communities in Buthidaung and Maungdaw are being subjected to a combination of extortion, forced labor, and the enforced conscription of youth—many of whom have since disappeared without a trace.

Locals report that travel between villages now requires expensive permits issued by ULA authorities, often costing thousands of kyats—amounts unaffordable for already impoverished families. Those caught without permits are punished, sometimes violently.

Even more alarming are mounting cases of forced labor. Rohingya men and boys are being rounded up and compelled to carry supplies, dig trenches, and serve as human shields for AA military operations in mountainous terrain. Families say their sons were taken and have not returned, with no information provided on their whereabouts.

“This is not liberation—it’s subjugation,” said one village elder in Maungdaw. “The AA says they fight for the Arakan people’s freedom, but for us Rohingya, they bring only fear, extortion, and slavery.”

Despite the AA’s public claims of inclusive governance, rights groups warn that its treatment of the Rohingya population mirrors systemic patterns of abuse, discrimination, and ethnic targeting.

The human rights situation in these areas is rapidly deteriorating, and the lack of independent access for journalists and humanitarian observers makes documentation and accountability extremely difficult.

International human rights advocates are calling for urgent monitoring, the protection of civilians, and pressure on the AA and ULA to immediately cease abuses against the Rohingya.

Rohingya Vision News