Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Sources in Arakan state, western Myanmar, have reported that the Arakan Army, controlling the state, has launched a secret search operation for more than 40 Rohingya individuals who fled a military training academy after facing abuse and intimidation.
According to a correspondent for the Arakan News Agency, the Rohingya escaped from training camps in the city of Buthidaung last week due to racial discrimination and being forced to use drugs, based on information from a source close to one of the escapees.
The Arakan Army has reportedly initiated a covert search for them in the cities of Buthidaung and Maungdaw.
On April 11, the Arakan Army transferred 63 young Rohingya from Maungdaw to its military training school in Buthidaung with the aim of conscripting them. Currently, there are 156 young Rohingya from both cities undergoing military training in Buthidaung.
These developments follow the recent arrest and detention—under unknown circumstances—of a resident from Maungdaw, reflecting the ongoing arrests and forced conscription of Rohingya residents by the Arakan Army in the State.
The Arakan Army currently controls 14 out of the 17 cities in Rakhine after launching a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar Army to seize control of the state. The conflict has directly affected the Rohingya, who have suffered violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, in addition to the “genocide” campaign conducted by the Myanmar Army in 2017 that drove nearly a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
