Ten Rohingya girls were reportedly detained by fighters of the Arakan Army earlier this week in western Myanmar, according to residents of a Rohingya village in Buthidaung Township.

Local villagers said the incident occurred on March 10 in Khin Daung village, when armed members of the group entered the settlement and took the girls to one of their camps. Residents said the families of the detained girls have received no official explanation for the action and remain uncertain about their whereabouts and condition.

Buthidaung lies in northern Rakhine State, close to the border with Bangladesh. The area still hosts a significant Rohingya population who remained in the region after hundreds of thousands fled to Bangladesh during previous waves of violence.

One Rohingya resident told community media that armed men arrived suddenly and took the girls away, leaving families terrified and confused. “They came to the village and took ten girls. We are very afraid because we do not know why they were taken,” the villager said.

According to reports cited by Muslim Network TV, the detentions have heightened fears among Rohingya families across the area, with residents claiming that some households are being pressured to pay money to avoid similar incidents, although such allegations could not be independently verified.

Community members said rumors have spread that families who can afford to pay money may be able to prevent their daughters from being taken to armed camps. However, villagers stressed that poorer families have no such means and now fear their daughters could be targeted next.

“We are very worried for our daughters,” an elderly resident said. “Families who are poor cannot pay money, and they fear their girls could also be taken.”

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar, have endured decades of discrimination, including restrictions on movement, citizenship and access to basic services. Large parts of northern Rakhine have recently become contested territory as fighting intensifies between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army.

Residents said the latest incident has deepened anxiety in Rohingya communities that remain in the region. Many families are now keeping their daughters indoors and limiting their movements, fearing further detentions amid the worsening security situation.

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