Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Local Rohingya sources told Arakan News Agency that it is not true that the Arakan Army (AA) distributed cows in Rohingya villages on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, as it appeared that it has collected its money from Rohingya families.
Several Rakhine media platforms published news about AA distributing one or two cows in each poor Rohingya village, but local resident asserted that AA collected money from rich and middle-class Rohingya families in several villages across Buthidaung Township ahead of Eid Al-Adha to buy these cows.
One week to Eid, each capable family was forced to give between 50,000 and 100,000 kyats ($11 to $22). The money was then used to buy cows for poor families, villagers said.
“In my village, they collected at least 50,000 kyats from each family who looked capable. We couldn’t refuse, it was necessary”, one villager from Buthidaung told the Arakan News Agency.He added that most families gave the money out of fear.
Though the Arakan Army didn’t officially announce the distribution, many Rakhine-backed media outlets shared photos and claimed that the AA provided cows and meat to poor Muslim families in Arakan on Eid day. In several villages, the AA reportedly held meetings with locals to explain the process.
The Rohingya accuse the Arakan Army of confiscating nearly 3,000 heads of livestock during its assault on the towns of Maungdaw and Buthidaung last year, coinciding with escalating clashes between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military, with residents fleeing, leaving behind their livestock and property.
In November 2023, the Arakan Army launched a military campaign against the Myanmar military to seize control of the state, seizing control of 14 of the 17 towns. The conflict has also affected the Rohingya, who have been subjected to violence, forced displacement, and persecution by both sides. They were also subjected to a “genocidal” campaign by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly a million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
