Forced Labour of Rohingya Continues in Northern Maungdaw Township

Photo: AA Info Desk

Arakan Now | 24 October 2025

Reports from northern Maungdaw Township indicate that Rohingya residents are being forced to perform labor by the Arakan Army.

According to local sources, approximately 30 Rohingya from Phon Phyu Chaung (ဖွင့်ဖြူချောင်း) Village, 50 from U Shwe Kya (ဦးရှည့်ကျ) Village, 40 from Kyet Yoe Pyin (ကြက်ရို့ပြင်) Village, 10 from Nga Sar Kyu (ငါးစားကြူး) Village, and 45 from Ngan Chaung (ငန်းချောင်း) Village have been forced to clear forest along both sides of the main road leading from Aung Mingalar (အောင်မင်္ဂလာ) — a Rakhine village where one of the largest Arakan Army bases in Phawut Chaung (ဖါးဝပ်ချောင်း) village tract is located — to its Kyi Kan Pyin (ကျီးကန့်ပြင်) headquarters.

The workers were reportedly ordered to clear up to 100 feet of forest on each side of the road and instructed to continue until the work is completed.

The Arakan Army, which took control of several parts of Rakhine State following renewed fighting with the military junta in late 2023, has been accused of using forced labor in areas under its control. Thousands of Rohingya residents in Arakan remain confined to their villages, with limited access to livelihoods and humanitarian aid amid ongoing insecurity.