Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) have demanded that Rohingya village leaders and community figures in northern Maungdaw, Arakan State, publicly denounce the activities of Rohingya armed groups to the world, and provide financial support to the militias, in exchange for being allowed to live in peace.
This came during a meeting held on Tuesday with leaders and local officials from villages including Bingfyu, Paungza, Hla Buza, Shwe Za, See Hoke Island, Tharak Oak, Mingala Gyi, and Kauk Lwa Ka, attended by a militia battalion commander named “Du Li.”
Local residents told Arakan News Agency that the commander asserted the Myanmar military would not be able to retake Maungdaw, and that they were ready to repel any attack. He urged residents not to believe rumors about an imminent assault by Myanmar’s military council forces.
He further stressed that Rohingya should convince their relatives abroad not to support the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), warning that continued activity by these groups would deepen divisions between the Rohingya and the Arakanese.
The commander added that their victories over the Myanmar military came at great sacrifice from Arakanese youth, and demanded that the Rohingya contribute financially if they did not wish to participate directly in the fighting.
Since the Arakan Army seized Maungdaw on December 8, it has continued its abuses against the Rohingya, including locking their homes after false complaints, confiscating them, seizing valuables, and displacing many families.
Strict movement restrictions have also been imposed, banning travel between villages and enforcing these measures through a network of security checkpoints at every Rohingya village entrance and exit. The militias have also imposed tolls on Rohingya pedestrians and motorcycle owners to cross bridges.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to seize control of the state, capturing 14 out of 17 towns. The conflict has engulfed the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides after already enduring a 2017 campaign of “genocide” by the Myanmar military that forced nearly one million to flee to Bangladesh.
