Two Muslim teens killed in unexploded ordnance blast in Buthidaung Twsp

By Admin 20 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

20 October 2025, Buthidaung
 
An explosive remnant of war (ERW) blast has reportedly killed two local Muslim teenagers in Buthidaung Township, Arakan State.
 
The two Muslim teens encountered an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) while herding buffalo near Htan Shauk Khan Village in Buthidaung Township on October 19.
 
“They were herding cattle on a farm west of Htan Shauk Khan Village. The two died when they stepped on an RPG and it exploded. The area was a site of intense fighting in the past,” said a local resident in Buthidaung Township.
 
The deceased have been identified as Saik Bullah, 15, from Nanuntu Village and Mamouk Faikhsan, 14, from Kyaukseik Village.
 
Htan Shauk Khan Village is close to the regime’s Military Command Headquarters 15 (MOC-15), and local residents say it was the scene of fierce fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in 2024.
 
“The mountains near the regime’s Military Command Headquarters 15, Ahtwin Nghetthae, Kanpyin, Kakyetbet, Myaungnar villages, are of particular concern for landmines,” said another Buthidaung resident. “Since the fighting was intense, there may still be landmines and other unexploded ordnance scattered around.”
 
A 25-year-old Hindu man was reported to have lost his right leg after stepping on a landmine in Maungdaw’s 4th-Mile Ward on October 18.
 
The grassroots in Arakan State rely on the forests and mountains to make a living, often through livelihood activities such as collecting firewood and bamboo shoots.
 
“There have been clashes in Arakan State, so the risk of landmines is still high,” said a local man in Arakan State. “During this period, the locals are also dependent on the forest for their livelihood, which is even more worrying. It will only be possible if international experts, organisations, and the Arakan Army work together to effectively clear these landmines.”
 
Locals say the Arakan Army is holding awareness lectures and distributing pamphlets about the dangers of landmines and heavy weapons, but effectiveness is still lacking.