Arakan Is Becoming Empty Under Arakan Army Control: Residents Speak Out

Arakan Now | 30 July 2025

Since the Arakan Army (AA) took control of many areas in Rakhine State, life for the remaining Rohingya has become increasingly difficult. According to local residents, conditions are now even worse than during the rule of the Myanmar military junta.

Fear and uncertainty now dominate daily life. Many Rohingya live under the constant threat of abduction, arrest, and persecution.

Residents say they no longer sleep in peace and fear what each new day may bring.

Villages such as Da Phyu Chaung, Ywet Nyo Taung, Tha Yet Kin Man Nu, and others have been emptied. The displaced residents are not allowed to return to their homes, even though there is no active fighting in those areas. They remain trapped in makeshift IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps, unable to access their homes, land, or livelihoods.

In some areas where people were allowed to return, the situation remains harsh and unlivable.

A resident from Buthidaung told Arakan Now: “Most people are starving. Some even beg from others. There’s no work, no opportunities, no hope. We are forced to pay 50,000 MMK every month as labor and village guard fees. If we don’t pay, we’re punished. But we can’t even afford one meal a day. How are we supposed to survive?”

He added: “When we first came back, there were around 100 households in my ward. Now there are fewer than 50. The rest have left. And the same is happening in other villages.”

With a heavy voice, he warned: “If no one stops the Arakan Army from doing this to us, Arakan will soon be completely empty.”

The number of people fleeing is increasing. Entire villages are becoming deserted not because of armed conflict, but because daily life has become unbearable. Every day, more families are leaving behind their homes, land, and memories, forced into exile once again, just to survive.

The silence left behind is not peace, it is pain.