Villagers from Kyauk Chaung and Leik Ya Allegedly Forcibly Displaced by AA in Maungdaw Township

Photo: HIAS

Arakan Now | 24 December 2025

Residents of Kyauk Chaung and neighbouring Leik Ya village tracts in Maungdaw Township were allegedly forcibly displaced by the Arakan Army (AA) following arrests , threats, and eviction orders, according to local sources and witnesses.

On November 30, 2025, the AA reportedly arrested ten villagers from Kyauk Chaung Village Tract, including the village administrator, residents said. Witnesses who spoke on condition on anonymity due to security concerns, said the detainees were reportedly taken away for interrogation and were allegedly subjected to torture while in custody.

Following the interrogation, unconfirmed reports circulated within local communities that the village administrator, identified as U Muhamned Esop, and another villager, Kefayat Ullah, were killed while in custody. These claims couldn’t be independently verified.

Subsequently, on December 19, 2025, a meeting was reportedly held involving the remaining residents—mainly children, women, and elderly people—from Kyauk Chaung Village Tract, as well as villagers from neighboring Leik Ya Village Tract. According to a source who attended the meeting, the AA officials allegedly ordered villagers to leave their homes and cross into Bangladesh within one week.

The source said AA officials warned that anyone who failed to leave and remained in the villages would be forcibly relocated under AA arrangements. The source added that an AA officer explicitly threatened that villagers who disobeyed the order would be shot.

As a result of these alleged threats and forced eviction orders, residents of Kyauk Chaung and Leik Ya Village Tracts reportedly fled en masse to Bangladesh. Local sources confirmed that no Rohingya residents currently remain in those villages.

Independent verification of the allegations remains difficult, as access to the area is severely restricted.