At least 17 Rohingya families, including children and elderly, are being held in dire conditions and forced into labor by the Arakan Army (AA) after returning to their native villages in northern Rakhine State, according to testimonies from family members and community sources.

A total of 72 individuals from Shwe Zar village tract were detained on April 26 upon returning from refugee camps in Bangladesh. Since then, they have been denied legal access, cut off from relatives, and prohibited from receiving food, water, or medicine.

Tragically, two children under five have reportedly died from diarrhea due to lack of clean drinking water and medical care. “My daughter died crying for water and medicine. The guards did nothing,” said one grieving father.

Detainees are reportedly being fed plain starch-based meals with no nutrition and are subjected to forced labor — sweeping streets, cleaning schoolyards, and removing waste under armed watch. “They treat us like animals,” a detained woman conveyed through relatives.

The AA, which now controls much of Maungdaw, had previously claimed to support inclusive governance. But rights groups say its actions echo, or even exceed, the repressive tactics of the Myanmar military. Returnees are now facing criminal charges under border-crossing laws, with one AA-aligned official reportedly declaring that “all Muslims” who return will be punished.

Observers warn that such abuses undermine any hope for safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Families in Bangladesh say they now fear returning, even as conditions in the camps worsen.

Human rights organizations are calling for urgent international scrutiny. “This is not reintegration — it’s persecution under a new name,” said one Yangon-based rights advocate.

The international community is being urged to hold the AA accountable and ensure any future repatriation is voluntary, safe, and grounded in human dignity.

BOB Post