Rohingya Villages Burned By AA in Maungdaw

The ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military has turned Maungdaw Township into a war zone, with the Rohingya community suffering the most. In recent weeks, entire villages have been set ablaze, leaving families with nothing but the ashes of their former lives.

On August 27th, the village of Shudar Fara, once home to countless Rohingya families, was reduced to ruins. At around 1:20 in the afternoon, the village was set on fire. The residents of Shudar Fara had already been forcibly removed by the AA and relocated to an area under their control. The empty village, stripped of its life and vibrancy, was burned down without any clear reason.

Just days earlier, on August 22nd, the Rohingya village of Fezi met the same fate. The residents had been forced to leave on August 10th, driven from their homes by the AA. By the evening of the 22nd, their village was in flames. Whether this act of destruction was carried out by the AA or the Myanmar military remains unknown, but the pain it has caused is undeniable.

A resident of Maungdaw’s downtown area described the dire situation: “The Myanmar military is turning our roads into battlefields. They are destroying our homes, our buildings, everything that ties us to this land. They are clearing out our villages, leaving us with nowhere to go.”

For the Rohingya, these fires are not just destroying buildings; they are erasing entire communities. The relentless fighting between the AA and the Myanmar military is pushing the Rohingya further into despair, forcing them to flee the only home they have ever known.

Each village that burns is a part of the Rohingya’s history that is lost forever. The people of Shudar Fara and Fezi village are now scattered, their futures uncertain, their dreams turned to ashes. But their stories must not be forgotten.

Rohingya Vision News