The Arakan Army (AA) has been allegedly intimidating ordinary Rohingya villagers, demanding that one person per household from Rohingya villages serve for the organization in Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, Myanmar.
According to sources, AA has been holding meetings with Rohingya villagers in various locations, including Kyee Hnoke Thee, Maung Nu, Mee Chaung Kaung⁰ Swee, Maung Gyi Taung, Sangribil, Maung Napara, and Khyan Down in Buthidaung Township.
During these meetings, AA has purportedly insisted that every youth from Muslim villages must join their ranks if they wish to remain in areas under AA control. Those who refuse are allegedly threatened with expulsion from their villages.
Furthermore, it’s been stated that one Rohingya youth per household from these villages must be enlisted with AA. These youths would undergo military training before being deployed back to their villages as sentinels.
An inhabitant of Buthidaung downtown reported that AA has coercively recruited around 200 Rohingya youths from the township. These recruits are said to undergo militia training for 15 days, with some returning to their original villages as sentinels and others being stationed at various AA facilities.
AA’s recruitment efforts have extended to villages such as Nga Yant Chaung, Kyee Hnoke Thee, Maung Nu, Mee Chaung Kaung Swee, and Maung Gyi Taung.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar military is also forcibly recruiting Rohingya youths for military service in Buthidaung Township. Rohingyas find themselves caught between AA and the Myanmar military, both of which are allegedly targeting them in Arakan State.
Original Publication: AA Forcibly Recruiting Rohingya Youths on a Village-by-Village Basis in Buthidaung Township
