Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Local sources report that the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, has launched a campaign to document all Rohingya-owned properties in Maungdaw, Arakan State, western Myanmar, starting from June 20. The survey covers homes, farmland, and livestock.
Sources told Arakan News Agency that the AA has instructed village leaders and local administrators to collect detailed data on each Rohingya family’s property using special forms distributed by the group.
The property inventory includes the number of cattle, buffaloes, and goats, as well as the type of houses whether brick, wooden, or makeshift huts. It also covers the size of agricultural land and any shrimp farming ponds.
A local administrative source, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said that village leaders were ordered to complete the lists and submit them to AA-controlled local offices before the end of June. The real purpose behind this campaign remains unclear.
This move follows a similar property survey conducted by the AA in May in Buthidaung, a neighboring town to Maungdaw.
Since seizing control of Maungdaw on December 8, the AA has reportedly escalated its abuses against the Rohingya, including sealing homes based on false complaints, confiscating properties, and displacing many families.
The group has also imposed severe movement restrictions on the Rohingya, setting up a network of checkpoints at village entrances and exits, and demanding fees from pedestrians and motorcycle owners for crossing bridges.
The AA launched a military offensive against the Myanmar army in November 2023 to take control of Arakan State, capturing 14 out of 17 townships. The ongoing conflict has worsened conditions for the Rohingya, subjecting them to violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, following a genocidal campaign by the Myanmar military in 2017 that drove nearly a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
