October 10, 2025
RHRC-In recent days, Rohingya families in Rakhine and refugee camps in Bangladesh have faced worsening insecurity as the Arakan Army (AA) expands its control over religious properties, recruits civilians by force, and intensifies its crackdown on local communities.
Rohingya Child Killed in NGO Vehicle Accident
A tragic accident occurred on October 7, 2025, inside Nayapara Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, when a five-year-old Rohingya child was struck and killed by a vehicle belonging to the NGO Forum. Witnesses say the child was playing near the road when the vehicle ran over him. In response, the victim’s parents and relatives locked the NGO’s camp office, demanding justice and accountability. Operations of the NGO Forum have since been suspended for three days, fueling anger and grief among residents.
AA Seizes Historic Mosque Shops in Maungdaw
On October 5, 2025, reports emerged that the Arakan Army (AA) has taken control of rental revenues from shops belonging to the historic Jamaybali Mosque (Siyama Kyauk Bali Gyye), founded in 1818 in Maungdaw.
For decades, rental fees from the 22 shops adjacent to the mosque were collected by mosque trustees and used for community funds. However, residents say AA-appointed township authorities summoned 15 mosque trustees and ordered them to hand over rent from 11 vacant shops to the mosque’s fund while diverting the rent from the remaining 11 directly to AA. Each shop was reportedly taxed at 200,000 Kyat. In addition, AA has begun collecting rent from 44 other mosque-owned shops on Minbagyi Road, including those considered “ownerless” due to displacement of Rohingya families to Bangladesh and Yangon.
Civilians Killed in TNLA-Controlled Area
On October 10, 2025, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) announced that seven civilians, including two children, were killed when Myanmar’s air force bombed We Baung village in Moeik Township, northern Shan State. According to TNLA, the airstrike occurred around 7 p.m. despite no fighting in the area. A fighter jet dropped three 250-pound bombs, killing four men and three women and injuring eight others. The incident has sparked fresh condemnation of indiscriminate airstrikes targeting civilian areas.
AA Forces Rohingya Women into Military Service
On October 6, 2025, AA troops reportedly began pressuring families in Maungdaw and Buthidaung to provide unmarried young women for forced recruitment. Observers said around 100 women have been targeted in both townships. Families fear reprisals if they refuse, given AA’s growing armed control over the region. Rights groups warn the move could lead to widespread trauma and deepen mistrust between communities.
Communities Living Under Fear and Uncertainty
From the seizure of mosque property in Maungdaw to forced recruitment of women and deadly bombings in Shan State, Rohingya and other ethnic communities remain trapped between armed groups, military violence, and failing humanitarian protections.
Observers warn that without urgent international intervention, communities already stripped of resources and rights will face further dispossession and insecurity under the tightening grip of armed actors.
