“I lost all hope for my life”: Arakan Army Accused of Detaining Rohingya in Forced Labor Camps

A man carrying goods on his shoulder walks through a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on August 17, 2025. Around one million Rohingya now live in the overcrowded camps.

In an article by The New Humanitarian, Ali M. Latifi writes about the plight of Rohingya who received an ultimatum to remain in captivity in Myanmar or be expelled to overcrowded and increasingly unsafe refugee camps in Bangledesh.

After nearly three months in what he described as a prison labour camp, *Sharif said he and dozens of other Rohingya received an ultimatum in mid-July from the Arakan Army (AA): remain in captivity in their native Myanmar or be expelled to overcrowded and increasingly unsafe refugee camps in Bangladesh where rations are dwindling.

The 29-year-old told The New Humanitarian these unthinkable options were presented to 78 people – including 20 women and 33 children – while they were being detained in a prison and forced to work for the AA in Rakhine, a state over which the armed ethnic group has gained significant control.

The group was a mix of returnees from the Bangladesh camps – detained by the AA on spurious charges – and local villagers brought to a work site that ended up being run like a prison. Sharif said men and women were separated and made to clean dirty drains, repair bridges, build roads, remove grass, and even clean houses in ethnic Rakhine villages near the town of Maungdaw for six hours each weekday. At night, Sharif said, the prison doors were locked, with guards posted to watch over the detainees, who were only allowed visitors on weekends.

Over the past decade, the AA – estimated to have some 30,000 soldiers – has expanded its control to 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships as it seeks greater autonomy from the Myanmar government. It is considered the biggest threat to the ruling junta, which is also in conflict with numerous other armed ethnic and opposition groups.