57 civilian casualties in six months due to ARSA attacks in northern Arakan

By Admin 23 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

23 October 2025, Maungdaw

From May through October 23, 2025, a total of 57 civilians in northern Arakan — 40 killed and 17 injured — have been victims of ambushes and killings carried out by the Muslim ared group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, according to figures compiled by DMG.

On October 22, two women were killed and two men injured when ARSA gunmen opened fire on a passenger vehicle carrying goods and travelers from Zedee Pyin (Rathedaung Township) toward Kyauk Pandu (Maungdaw Township) along the Mayu mountain road.

The deceased were identified as Daw Wei Wei Soe (30), an IDP from Thin Pone Tan Village, Sittwe Township, and Daw Naing Naing Shwe (40) from Inn Din Village, Maungdaw Township.

The injured were U Htun Win (30), the driver from Kyauk Pandu, and Maung Than Htwe (25), a passenger.

“People are now genuinely afraid to travel. You don’t know who’s waiting by the roadside or who will be shot and taken away. They’re no longer ‘armed groups’ — they’re bandits. We urge the AA to root them out quickly,” said a resident of Kyauk Pandu.

The Arakan Army (AA) said today it is continuing clearance operations against ARSA cells sheltering inside Maungdaw Township to reduce violence and protect public safety.

Earlier incidents this month include:

Oct 21: Ko Kyaw Soe Win of Pyin Shay Village (Buthidaung) was shot dead and his companion wounded when ARSA ambushed their motorbike near Aung Thayar on the Kyein Chaung–Taung Pyo Letwae road.

Oct 11: Three traders from Maungdaw returning from Taung Pyo Letwae were ambushed near the Lakera junction; Ko Nyein Chan (22) was killed and two others injured.

Oct 5: Ko Min Tun Aung (28) was injured when ARSA detonated an improvised mine against a motorbike transporting goods from Taung Pyo Letwae to Aung Thayar.

Residents say the spike in ARSA killings in October has made movement in Maungdaw increasingly dangerous. In Maungdaw District, local Arakanese/Rakhine, Mro, Thet/Daingnet, and Khami communities rely on daily travel for trade, foraging, and fishing, and many victims were attacked during such routine trips.

A merchant from Maungdaw said: “Given the large Muslim population here, it’s clearly hard for the AA to control every inch. We risk our lives just to trade. What’s worse is that we rarely see Muslim victims among those killed by ARSA — which shows how they are weaponizing identity.”

On September 28, AA patrols near Upper Inn Chaung reported discovering six bodies of civilians from Tamanthar and Done Nyo villages whom ARSA fighters had allegedly killed.

Border security remains complex, with ARSA units slipping across the Myanmar–Bangladesh frontier. Locals and AA sources say some gunmen retreat into Bangladesh after attacks, complicating clearance operations.

Writer Wai Hun Aung criticized the silence of some human-rights actors regarding ARSA/RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organisation) abuses: “Since 2016–17, when RSO/ARSA kill civilians in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, groups that loudly invoke ‘human rights’ often say nothing — including the NUG (National Unity Government) and international organizations. The lack of condemnation is disheartening.”

Given continuing threats from ARSA/RSO, authorities have advised border communities not to travel alone, to avoid sparsely populated forested areas, and — for essential trips such as medical care — to notify AA administrative and security units to request escort or support.