Hundreds of Rohingya women and girls forced into Arakan Army

Rohingya families in Burma’s Rakhine State say women and underage girls are being forced into armed group as coercive recruitment expands across areas under its control

 

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YANGON, Burma (MNTV) — More than 450 Rohingya women and girls have been forcibly recruited by the Arakan Army across western Burma’s Rakhine State, according to accounts from Rohingya communities, raising new concerns over the treatment of the persecuted minority in territory controlled by the powerful ethnic armed group.

Families have been ordered to provide members for recruitment, with women reportedly being taken when households have no adult men available, Rohingya Khobor reported, citing community sources.

The outlet said the overall figure could not be independently verified, while the precise ages and whereabouts of many of those recruited remain unclear.

The allegations mark a particularly troubling expansion of coercive recruitment among the Rohingya, who have increasingly found themselves under Arakan Army rule as the group has seized large parts of Rakhine State from Burma’s military junta during the country’s civil war.

Community sources said the recruitment has affected Rohingya living in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Minbya and Thandwe. Several of those taken are believed to be girls younger than 18, which, if confirmed, could constitute child recruitment under international law.

The pressure has also exposed economic inequalities within Rohingya communities. Residents alleged that poorer families have been particularly vulnerable, while some wealthier households have managed to avoid sending relatives by making payments.

Some families have fled their homes to prevent women and girls from being taken. One Rohingya woman said her family ultimately decided that leaving was the only way to protect its female members as recruitment pressure intensified.

Residents have also alleged that women taken by the Arakan Army have faced restrictions on their clothing and religious practices. It remains unclear whether recruits are being deployed for combat, military support or other duties.

The latest allegations are not the first indication that Rohingya women and girls are being drawn into the Arakan Army’s recruitment system.

Residents in Maungdaw and Buthidaung said in October 2025 that young women had been ordered to undergo military training. Fresh concerns emerged in February when residents said Arakan Army personnel were collecting the names of girls in several Buthidaung villages for possible recruitment.

Human rights group Fortify Rights has separately documented allegations of forced labor and conscription by the Arakan Army involving Rohingya and other minority communities.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Burma, a United Nations body gathering evidence of serious international crimes in the country, has also been investigating alleged abuses by armed groups fighting the military junta, including accusations of child recruitment and sexual violence.

The allegations add to growing fears over the position of the Rohingya as control of Rakhine shifts from the junta to the Arakan Army.

The Muslim minority has endured decades of state persecution, restrictions on movement and citizenship rights, culminating in a 2017 genocide that drove more than 700,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh.

Rohingya community members are now calling for an independent international investigation into the reported recruitment, particularly to establish how many women and children have been taken, whether they were coerced, and what roles they are being forced to perform.