Episode: KPN 17-09-2026

Rakhine families reportedly resettled on displaced Rohingya land in Maungdaw

Rakhine families are reportedly being resettled on land formerly inhabited and cultivated by Rohingya in Maungdaw Township, raising concerns among displaced communities over property rights and whether refugees will be able to return to their original homes and farmland.

Construction has recently begun in Bagone Nar in southern Maungdaw Township, where a Rohingya village was destroyed during the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown, according to local residents and reports by Rohingya Khobor.

Residents said the former village market has been bulldozed and new houses are being constructed on nearby land in an area under the administration of the United League of Arakan (ULA) and its armed wing, the Arakan Army (AA), which controls much of Rakhine State.

Rakhine families reportedly allocated former Rohingya farmland

Some of the Rakhine families arriving in the area are reportedly from Rathedaung Township and other parts of southern Rakhine State.

Local residents said the families have been allocated residential plots and, in some cases, approximately two acres of farmland that had previously been owned or cultivated by Rohingya families.

The reports add to allegations that Rohingya-owned or formerly Rohingya-used land is being confiscated, redistributed or repurposed in areas under AA control.

The Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) said in June that Rakhine settlements were being established on confiscated Rohingya land in northern Maungdaw and alleged that some Rohingya had been compelled to participate in construction work.

KPN could not independently verify all of the reported land allocations or the circumstances under which the settlements were established.

Displaced Rohingya reportedly prevented from returning to villages

Similar allegations have emerged from Buthidaung Township, where some displaced Rohingya families have reportedly been prevented from returning to their original villages and instead relocated to designated settlement areas.

Residents said relocated families were provided with small plots of land but faced serious difficulties constructing homes because of poverty and restrictions affecting access to building materials.

Local sources also identified Maung Gyi Taung, Tat Min Chaung and Kyein Chaung — locally known as Thami Khali — among areas where land redistribution or the settlement of Rakhine families was reportedly taking place.

KPN was unable to independently verify these claims.

Land rights could become major obstacle to Rohingya repatriation

The reported developments could further complicate efforts to find a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.

More than one million Rohingya are living in Bangladesh following successive waves of persecution and violence in Myanmar, while renewed conflict in Rakhine State since 2024 has forced additional Rohingya from their homes.

For Rohingya refugees and internally displaced families, restoration of their homes, villages and farmland remains a central issue in any discussion of safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return.

The permanent settlement of other communities on land formerly belonging to displaced Rohingya could therefore create a significant obstacle to future repatriation, particularly if ownership rights, access to farmland and the right to return to ancestral villages are not restored.

A Rohingya farmer, describing growing fears among displaced communities, said the loss of farmland could leave future generations with no home or land to return to.

The reported land redistribution also raises broader questions about how property disputes will be addressed in areas where entire Rohingya communities were emptied, destroyed or displaced during successive rounds of violence.

For displaced Rohingya, residents said, the issue is not only about land ownership but also about whether they will retain a meaningful right to return to the communities from which they were forced to flee.

Tagged as: Military Council force, Rakhine, IIMM, Rathedaung, ARSA, Rohingya, war crimes, Rohingya Refugee, 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.