This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
Residents of eastern Myanmar’s Maungdaw town reported Monday that more than 13, 000 Rohingya Muslims and plenty of other people have fled their homes in recent days as a result of the military-ethnic rebels ‘ growing issue in the state of Rakhine.
The insurgent Arakan Army, or AA, is battling for control of Maungdaw as the most recent move in its campaign to overthrow Rakhine state and a component of a wider legal issue that has ravaged little of Myanmar since a military coup in 2021.
Since Aug. 7, when it seized two-thirds of power of the town seats, the AA has evacuated more than 15, 000 people from Maungdaw, including over 13, 000 Rohingyas and thousands of ethnic Rakhines and Hindus, according to a citizen who, like some interviewed for this statement, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
The recently displaced Rohingyas add some 6, 500 who have fled to neighboring Bangladesh or were , waiting to cross borders via the Naf River , since the start of final month, the native said, adding that around 5, 000 people have been unable to leave the town.
” ]As many as ] 20, 000 Rohingyas have been evacuated so far”, he told RFA Burmese on Monday. Some Muslims are stranded in areas ruled by the junta troops and in conflict zones because the majority of the city’s center is under the control of the AA.
Other Maungdaw residents reported that the majority of the Rohingyas who have been evacuated are staying in AA-provided shelters, while others are packing up with their families for Bangladesh.
About 1 million Rohingya refugees who are stateless reside in densely packed border camps in Bangladesh. The majority of people escaped there in 2017 to avoid violent crackdowns in Rakhine state, which were brought on by the Myanmar military.
However, more Rohingya have recently sought refuge in Bangladesh because Rakhine state’s security has deteriorated.
Last week,  , homemade rockets, artillery and drones were fired , at Rohingya as they waited on a Myanmar riverbank for motorboats to carry them to Bangladesh, leaving dozens of people dead. Witnesses who spoke with RFA reported having witnessed 200 deaths, but RFA was unable to verify those figures.
Numerous Rohingya claimed that the AA was behind the attack, but the rebel group claimed in a statement that their troops had fired the weapons.
Providing aid
A volunteer assisting the Rohingya, identified as Mamud Saulain, told RFA that the AA needs to assume responsibility for the well-being of the ethnic community.
” It is crucial to provide them with food and shelter”, he said. ” Security measures should be in place to protect them from]military ] airstrikes, attacks from naval bases, and heavy weapons fire”.
Saulain also demanded that armed organizations permit those trapped in Maungdaw to relocate to safer areas.
Pe Than, a veteran politician from Rakhine, stated that the welfare of local residents is” of the utmost concern.”
” They will be taken to liberated areas that include numerous Muslim and Rakhine villages,” he said. ” They]Rakhine authorities ] are prepared to provide them with humanitarian assistance”.
According to AA spokesman Khaing Thu Kha, RFA has been sent to” safer places” for the displaced people.
He claimed that the junta forces wo n’t let Maungdaw residents leave the town as the conflict gets worse. The AA has attempted to save as many civilians as possible. They have now been sent to safer places, and we are providing them with food, accommodation, and healthcare services as well”.
Khaing Thu Kha said the AA had rescued people who were “being used as , human shields  ,]by the military ] to protect Maungdaw township”.
RFA attempted to contact Attorney General Hla Thein, the state’s representative for Rakhine state, about the Maungdaw situation, but it went unanswered on Monday.
