Episode: KPN 08-10-2026

AA builds Rakhine settlements on former Rohingya village sites in Maungdaw, residents say

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) is constructing new settlements for ethnic Rakhine families on sites of former Rohingya villages along the Kyi Kan Pyin-Kyein Chaung road in northern Maungdaw Township, according to local Rohingya residents.

Residents told KPN that construction is taking place on land where Rohingya villages were destroyed during the Myanmar military’s 2017 operations and in areas subsequently abandoned by Rohingya who fled renewed fighting.

The sources said some vacant Rohingya homes are also being allocated to Rakhine families displaced by conflict elsewhere in Rakhine State.

KPN could not independently verify all of the residents’ claims regarding the scale of the resettlement programme or the ULA/AA’s intentions.

Construction reported along Kyi Kan Pyin-Kyein Chaung road

Local sources said new houses and settlement areas are being developed along the highway between Kyi Kan Pyin and Kyein Chaung in northern Maungdaw.

“Under a ULA initiative, settlement houses and villages for Rakhine people are being constructed on the sites of former Rohingya villages that were torched by the Myanmar military during the 2017 genocide,” one local source told KPN.

According to the source, construction continued through recent weeks, with bulldozers clearing land and individual housing plots measuring about 20 by 40 feet being allocated to families.

The source said Rakhine families displaced by fighting in Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships were among those being brought to the area.

55 displaced Rakhine families brought to Hla Phoe Khaung

Last week, 55 Rakhine families displaced from Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships were brought to the Hla Phoe Khaung camp in Maungdaw, according to a source familiar with the situation.

An individual described as being close to the AA said the families were expected to receive houses being constructed along the Kyi Kan Pyin-Kyein Chaung road.

A separate local source said some Rakhine families had also been placed in houses previously occupied by Rohingya families who fled to Bangladesh or other parts of Myanmar during fighting between the AA and Myanmar military forces in 2024.

Residents report similar resettlement elsewhere in Maungdaw

Local sources said the latest construction follows earlier resettlement activities in other parts of Maungdaw Township.

According to residents, the AA/ULA took control of the former Rohingya village sites of Phar Wat Chaung and Nwah Yone Taung in northern Maungdaw toward the end of 2025 and subsequently established settlements for Rakhine families there.

Residents also alleged that new Rakhine settlements were established in September 2026 on sites of former Rohingya villages including Ba Gone Nar, Tharay Kone Baung, Zaw Ma Tet and Alal Than Kyaw in southern Maungdaw.

Rakhine families from other parts of the state, including Rathedaung and Ponnagyun, were subsequently brought to those areas, according to the sources.

Farmland and agricultural equipment reportedly allocated

Sources further alleged that land previously belonging to or occupied by Rohingya residents is being allocated to newly resettled Rakhine families.

According to the accounts received by KPN, some families have been allocated two acres of farmland.

Residents also said tractors and other agricultural equipment are being provided to newly established Rakhine settlements.

KPN has not independently confirmed the reported land allocations or obtained documentation establishing the ownership status of the affected land.

The allegations raise questions about what will happen to the property and land rights of Rohingya residents who fled their villages because of military operations, armed conflict or insecurity.

Rohingya residents fear permanent demographic change

Some Rohingya residents interviewed by KPN expressed concern that the resettlement could permanently alter the demographic composition of Maungdaw and Buthidaung and make it increasingly difficult for displaced Rohingya to return to their original communities.

One Maungdaw resident alleged that constructing Rakhine settlements on former Rohingya village sites formed part of a broader strategy associated with the ULA/AA’s “Rakhkhita Way.”

The resident described the programme as an effort to change the demographic balance of areas historically populated predominantly by Muslims.

KPN could not independently establish that the reported settlement programme is intended to alter the ethnic or religious composition of the region, and the characterization reflects the assessment of local sources.

Concerns over return of displaced Rohingya

Residents said they are particularly concerned about Rohingya villages destroyed in 2017 or abandoned during more recent fighting being repurposed before displaced residents have an opportunity to return or assert claims to their homes and farmland.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled northern Rakhine State for Bangladesh following the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown, while renewed fighting between the AA and Myanmar military has caused further displacement since late 2023.

Local Rohingya sources said additional families fled Maungdaw during the intense fighting of 2024, leaving homes and agricultural land behind.

Residents now fear that the establishment of permanent settlements on those sites could create another obstacle to future Rohingya return.

They called for the land and property rights of displaced communities to be protected and for any resettlement programme to avoid permanently dispossessing people who fled because of persecution, armed conflict or threats to their lives.

Tagged as: Camp schools, Akyab, ICC, Rohingya refugee camp, community schools, APBn, ICJ, RRRC, foods shortage, Balukhali, accountability, Sittwe, hungers, Bangadesh refugee camp, Bangladesh, Teknaf, ration cut, BGP, Genocide Convention, Burma-Bangladesh border, Arakan, RSO, Buthidaung, BGB, Burma, Malaysia going boat, IDP camp in Arakan, Arakan Army, Myanmar, Military navy, Kutupalong, Cox's Bazar, Rohingya boat people, Maungdaw, Military Council force, Rakhine, IIMM, Rathedaung, ARSA, Rohingya, war crimes, Rohingya Refugee.