Rohingya Families Flee Buthidaung as Arakan Army Targets Women for Military Training

Arakan Now | 28 August 2025 

Buthidaung, Arakan — The Arakan Army (AA) has been pressuring Rohingya village administrators in the northern part of Buthidaung over the past two months to send women and girls for military training. These reports have fueled fear within local communities and forced some families to flee their homes.

According to local sources, the AA has ordered that at least three unmarried women, aged between 18 and 25, be provided from each village.

Another report says that some women from the families of village administrators have also joined the training but return home during the night.

The fear has already driven some families to leave. One Rohingya man, who recently fled to Yangon with his wife and three daughters, said:

"I could not sleep at night knowing they might come for my daughters. Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined them being taken away. I would rather leave behind  everything I have built—our home, our belongings, even my land—than see them taken away. Nothing is more important to me than their safety."

Villagers say the practice has created deep anxiety and uncertainty among Rohingya families, who fear that the forced recruitment of women could escalate further.

Local residents warn that if such measures continue, more families are likely to abandon their homes in search of safety.