Episode: KPN 30-08-2026

OHCHR report: Around 2,000 acres of Rohingya land confiscated in AA-controlled Rakhine

August 29, 2026: Around 2,000 acres of land associated with Rohingya communities have reportedly been confiscated in Arakan Army-controlled areas of northern Rakhine State, according to findings cited in a new report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The OHCHR report, released on August 25, reviews Myanmar’s human rights situation between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, documenting alleged abuses against Rohingya communities as fighting and shifting territorial control continue to reshape northern Rakhine State.

The findings raise further concerns over Rohingya land and property rights and the prospects for hundreds of thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to eventually return to their places of origin in Myanmar.

Satellite Analysis Points to Rohingya Land Confiscation

According to the findings, satellite imagery analysis indicated that around 2,000 acres of land associated with Rohingya communities had reportedly been confiscated in areas under Arakan Army (AA) control.

Reuters also reported the finding, citing the OHCHR assessment.

The UN report further documents restrictions faced by displaced Rohingya seeking to return to their places of origin.

In some locations, non-Rohingya communities were reportedly resettled on land previously associated with Rohingya residents, raising concerns about the loss of property and the ability of displaced families to reclaim their homes and land.

Land and property rights are particularly significant for Rohingya refugees because any future repatriation process would require not only physical security but also meaningful access to their original homes, villages and livelihoods.

OHCHR Documents Allegations Against Arakan Army

Land confiscation was among a wider range of alleged violations documented by OHCHR in areas where the Arakan Army has expanded its control.

According to the report, allegations involving the AA include arbitrary arrest and detention of Rohingya, torture and ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, forced labour, forced recruitment, and confiscation of homes and land.

The allegations add to growing concerns over the treatment of Rohingya civilians as control of large parts of Rakhine State has shifted away from Myanmar’s military.

The AA has emerged as the dominant armed authority across much of Rakhine State following intense fighting with the Myanmar military.

Children as Young as Six Allegedly Subjected to Forced Labour

Witness accounts documented by OHCHR describe Rohingya, including children, allegedly being compelled to perform forced labour.

According to testimony cited in the report, children as young as six were allegedly required to undertake tasks including clearing forests, construction work and other forms of labour.

Former detainees also described alleged torture and ill-treatment while in custody, while testimonies documented deaths in detention.

Such accounts could not necessarily be independently verified in all cases because access to conflict-affected areas of Rakhine State remains severely restricted.

Myanmar Military Also Accused of Abuses Against Rohingya

OHCHR stressed that alleged violations against Rohingya communities were not attributed solely to the Arakan Army.

The report also documents alleged abuses linked to the Myanmar military, which has a long record of operations against Rohingya communities in Rakhine State.

According to OHCHR, both the Myanmar military and the AA have been accused of violations affecting Rohingya civilians, including killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, forced recruitment, forced labour and forced displacement.

The findings underline the vulnerability of Rohingya civilians caught between armed actors in the continuing conflict.

Safe Rohingya Repatriation Becomes More Difficult

The deteriorating human rights and security situation in northern Rakhine State further complicates prospects for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Rakhine State during the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown and continue to live in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

For many refugees, guarantees of citizenship, physical security, freedom of movement and restoration of land and property remain central conditions for any sustainable return.

Reports of land confiscation and the resettlement of other communities on land previously occupied by Rohingya raise additional questions over where returning refugees would live and whether they would be able to recover their property.

The changing balance of power in Rakhine also complicates negotiations over repatriation, as the Arakan Army now controls significant territory from which many Rohingya refugees originally fled.

OHCHR Reports Wider Human Rights Crisis Across Myanmar

Beyond Rakhine State, the OHCHR assessment describes a continuing deterioration of human rights conditions across Myanmar amid armed conflict.

The report documents airstrikes, killings, destruction of civilian property by fire, displacement and restrictions on humanitarian access in different parts of the country.

Myanmar has remained engulfed in conflict since the military seized power in February 2021, with fighting involving the junta, ethnic armed organisations and resistance forces continuing across multiple regions.

Rare-Earth Mining Expands in Kachin and Shan States

OHCHR also raised concerns about the rapid expansion of rare-earth mining in Kachin and Shan states.

The report estimated that Myanmar generated around US$1.4 billion from the rare-earth mineral trade in 2023.

The expansion of resource extraction in conflict-affected areas has raised wider concerns about environmental damage, local communities’ rights and the relationship between natural resources and armed conflict.

For the Rohingya, however, the findings from northern Rakhine carry an immediate implication: even as refugees continue to call for the right to return to Myanmar, changing territorial control, alleged abuses and the reported loss of their land risk placing that return further out of reach.

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