Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Anxiety has surged among the Rohingya community in Maungdaw, Arakan State, western Myanmar as the Arakan Army has carried out arbitrary arrests affecting several local community leaders without pressing clear charges.
Local residents told the “Arakan News Agency” that on July 2, the Arakan Army arrested three community leaders by taking them from their homes without a warrant or explanation of the reasons for the arrest.
They added that the detainees were first taken to an army intelligence center where they were mistreated before being transferred to the second battalion’s headquarters in the “4 Mile” district. Their families have been prevented from visiting them or delivering food and medicine, and contact has been severed since their arrest.
Residents confirmed that the three detainees suffer from chronic illnesses and are known in the community for their good reputation, having no ties to armed groups.
In a similar incident on June 21, the Arakan Army arrested the son of a shop owner in the “Kyauk Hla Gha” market, despite his known loyalty to the Arakan Army.
His arrest occurred while accompanying an officer to the second battalion’s headquarters, and authorities did not allow his family to visit him, informing them through guards that he remains in custody and has not been released yet.
The city’s residents expressed their fear of escalating arbitrary detentions targeting the Rohingya, considering the targeting of community figures and elders as increasing tension and fear within the local community.
Since the Arakan Army’s control of Maungdaw on December 8, it has continued its violations against the Rohingya, including closing their homes following malicious complaints, seizing them, confiscating their valuable properties, and displacing many families.
The Arakan Army has imposed strict restrictions on the Rohingya, banning their movement between villages after restricting it through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Rohingya village. They also imposed fees on pedestrians and motorbike owners from the Rohingya for crossing bridges.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar Army to take control of the state, managing to seize 14 out of 17 cities. The conflict has also engulfed the Rohingya, who have experienced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, following a “genocide” campaign by the Myanmar Army in 2017 that forced nearly a million to flee to Bangladesh.
