The Arakan Army (AA) is constructing new homes for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in several Rohingya villages across Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Buthidaung, according to a December 7 report by Rohingya Khobor. The report says that areas emptied after the Rohingya exodus are now being repopulated under the supervision of the AA’s political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA). At least eight villages in northern Maungdaw have already been transformed into Rakhine-only settlements.

Rights group Fortify Rights has also alleged that the AA is seizing Rohingya land and forcing remaining families into labour, often for days or months at a time, in areas the group controls.

The continuing violence in Rakhine has pushed another 170,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh since July 2024, adding to the 1.4 million already sheltering mostly in Cox’s Bazar.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh say their former homes and farmlands are being taken over. “They built new houses where we lived,” said Nurul Amin, who fled Maungdaw in June. Others, like youth Arif Ullah, accuse the AA of trying to “erase” the Rohingya presence.

Community leaders warn that the region is being emptied of Rohingya. “Arakan is our ancestral land, and we will return,” said UCR president Master Syedullah. “But the AA has expelled our families and taken our homes.”

Bangladeshi officials say repatriation remains the only long-term solution. “We are working to ensure safety and dignity in the camps while pushing for return,” said RRRC Commissioner Mizanur Rahman.

While the AA claims to control much of Maungdaw and other parts of Rakhine, junta forces remain entrenched in key townships such as Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung.

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