Arakan News Agency
Local sources report that Arakan militias (the Buddhist separatist group) are currently constructing new settlements on lands historically owned by the Rohingya, in addition to reallocating Rohingya farmlands in the townships of Buthidaung and Maungdaw.
According to Arakan Now, a new Rakhine village consisting of more than 90 houses has been built between the Rohingya villages of Ywathit New Taung and Ywthar Byin in Buthidaung Township.
Another settlement of more than 100 houses has reportedly been established in the northern Rohingya village of Sin Oo Byin Ywar Gyi (Saw Barang), where Rakhine families from other regions have been resettled.
The Development Media Group (DMG) reported that Arakan militias are planning additional Rakhine settlements along the northern and southern roads of Maungdaw Township, including the redistribution of land and resources to newly arriving Rakhine families.
A resident of Maungdaw told Arakan News Agency that “Rakhine families from Bangladesh and other areas were called into Maungdaw and allocated new villages along with agricultural lands that originally belonged to the Rohingya.”
These developments appear to align with the so-called “Rakhita Roadmap” promoted by Arakan militias, a plan aimed at altering the demographic composition of the region and reducing the presence of the Muslim population.
Political activist Nay San Lwin said: “The systematic seizure of land is not just theft — it is a core component of genocide operations.”
In northern Maungdaw, residents reported that the road stretching from the Kye Kan Pyin base through Kyein Chaung to Taung Pyo Road is being prepared for full-scale resettlement by newly arrived Rakhine communities. The area includes numerous villages, fish ponds, and agricultural lands previously owned by the Rohingya.
Historical information indicates that concerns over demographic changes are not new. In 2018, Twan Mor Naing, brother of Twan Mrat Naing and head of the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO) of the so-called “Arakan Liberation Army,” appeared in a leaked video outlining a strategy to seize Rohingya lands — starting with their displacement and followed by gradual resettlement of Rakhine communities.
Reports by Arakan News Agency show that many of the areas currently being resettled were once Rohingya villages that were burned and destroyed during the Myanmar military’s 2017 campaign, as well as villages emptied of their residents during the 2024 takeover of Buthidaung and Maungdaw by Arakan militias.
Human rights observers warn that establishing new settlements on Rohingya-owned lands and reallocating agricultural properties violates the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures and undermines any future efforts toward refugee repatriation.
It is noteworthy that Arakan militias seized control of most areas in Arakan State, including Maungdaw and Buthidaung, in 2024. Since then, multiple incidents of arbitrary abductions, extrajudicial killings, land confiscation, forced displacement, and restructuring of Rohingya villages have been documented.
