Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Local sources in Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, western Myanmar, say that Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) have arrested dozens of Rohingya farmers in recent weeks, fueling growing fears among residents.
Villagers reported that at least ten men from Hpon Nyo Lake village and nearby areas were taken from their homes and fields without explanation. The detainees have not been allowed contact with their families, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
One villager told Arakan News Agency: “We cannot work, cannot travel, and now our neighbors are disappearing. People are afraid to leave their homes and don’t know who will be next.”
The arrests come amid a strict curfew, restrictions on movement, and soaring food prices, which have forced many families to reduce meals or borrow from neighbors to survive.
Human rights organizations have previously condemned such practices by the Arakan militias, saying they reflect patterns of arbitrary detention and intimidation of Rohingya communities.
Residents warn that the continuation of arbitrary arrests without urgent intervention could worsen the crisis in Buthidaung, pushing more families toward displacement or deeper humanitarian suffering.
Under Arakan Army control, the Rohingya have suffered widespread abuses, including the sealing and seizure of homes after false complaints, confiscation of valuables, forced displacement of families, and severe restrictions preventing movement between villages enforced through a network of security checkpoints at every entrance and exit of Rohingya villages.
The Arakan militias launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to seize control of the state, capturing 14 out of 17 townships. The conflict has engulfed the Rohingya, who have endured violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides after already experiencing a campaign of “genocide” by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly one million to flee to Bangladesh.
