Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Eyewitnesses accused the Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) of destroying three Rohingya homes in Thi Hoe Kyunt village, Maungdaw Township, in Arakan State, on Monday, in an attack that lasted from 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
According to testimonies reported by Arakan News Agency, militia members stormed the village and demolished the houses before a fire broke out later that night, around 11:00 p.m., which consumed the home of Rohingya businessman Eman Husson, who had been abducted by the Arakan militias last year. The identity of those responsible for setting the fire remains unclear.
One eyewitness said: “Arakan Army members were destroying homes in the village. We saw them when we went to collect firewood.” Displaced residents expressed shock, saying: “Life as displaced people is already very difficult, and seeing our homes destroyed makes it even more painful.”
It is worth noting that Thi Hoe Kyunt was among the Rohingya villages forcibly emptied in August 2024 during fighting between the Arakan militias and the Myanmar military. Since then, residents have been barred from returning, forcing most of them to take refuge in nearby villages such as Habi, where Eman Husson was later abducted on September 17, 2024.
Since the Arakan Army took control of Maungdaw, it has continued abuses against the Rohingya, including shutting down their homes following malicious complaints, seizing them, confiscating valuable property, and displacing many families.
Strict restrictions have also been imposed on the Rohingya, including bans on movement between villages enforced through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Rohingya village. Fees have been levied on pedestrians and Rohingya motorcycle owners in exchange for crossing bridges.
The Arakan militias launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to seize control of the state, managing to capture 14 out of 17 towns. This conflict has engulfed the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides—after also being subjected to a campaign of “genocide” by the Myanmar military in 2017 that drove nearly one million to flee to Bangladesh.
