Ethnic Minorities in Northern Rakhine Face Violence
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Mro Ethnic Woman with Her Babies (photocrd)
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| Hindus Community Celebrating Anniversary of over 100 Hindus (photocrd) |
Ethnic minority communities in northern Rakhine’s Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships are facing violent ethnic cleansing by armed Muslim groups, according to an exclusive interview published by The Irrawaddy on September 22.
The targeted groups include Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and smaller ethnic minorities such as the Rakhine, Hindu, Mro, Kaman, Daingnet, Thet, and Khami communities, as well as non-religious groups. Once making up around 10 percent of the population, these communities now account for only about 0.4 percent after years of killings and displacement.
Reports indicate insurgents have killed civilians and disguised them in Arakan Army uniforms to stage fake clashes for media coverage. Local investigations cite several recent incidents, including the killing of two Mro villagers on September 16 in Maungdaw, the deaths of five traders near Inchaung village later that month, and the capture and killing of four Khami villagers in March 2025. A mass killing of more than 100 Hindus in Khamaung Seik village was also recorded in 2017.
Heavy fighting is ongoing near Milepost-42 on the Rakhine-Bangladesh border between the Arakan Army and armed Muslim groups allegedly infiltrating from Bangladesh. From November 2023 to July 2025, at least 34 civilians have been killed, six injured, and 24 arrested in the northern townships, according to official reports. Non-Muslim residents, reliant on farming, fishing, and bamboo cutting for their livelihoods, say they no longer feel safe and are increasingly fleeing their villages.
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