AA Allocates Land for Rakhine Settlement in Former Rohingya Village in Northern Maungdaw

Photo: Myanmar Tour

Arakan Now | 22 December 2025

Thae Chaung Village, located in Phar Wut Chaung Village Tract in northern Maungdaw Township, was historically inhabited by Rohingya residents who were forcibly displaced to Bangladesh in 2017 following widespread and systematic violence perpetrated by the Myanmar military, acts that amount to genocide.

During the 2017 military crackdown, residents fled amid credible reports of mass killings, arson, and other grave human rights abuses, forcing Rohingya communities to cross the border in search of safety. Since that time, Thae Chaung Village has remained largely uninhabited by its original population.

On 20 December, the Arakan Army/United League of Arakan (AA/ULA) reportedly began allocating residential land plots within the village area for the construction of a new Rakhine settlement. Available information indicates that land plots are being distributed for approximately 200 families.

This development raises serious concerns regarding land confiscation, the permanent alteration of the area’s demographic composition, and potential violations of the housing, land, and property rights of forcibly displaced Rohingya communities. The affected Rohingya have not been consulted, nor have they been provided with restitution, legal safeguards, or guarantees for their safe, voluntary, and dignified return, in contravention of international human rights and displacement standards.