Mro people displaced by ARSA threats in Maungdaw urgently need aid

Ethnic Mro residents in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State, who have fled their homes due to threats and aggressions by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), are now facing severe shortages of food and shelter and urgently require essential aid.

Around 1,500 people from nine villages including Donenyo, Upper Innchaung, Lower Innchaung, Ngatet, and Byaywe have been displaced by border clashes and the looming threat from ARSA.

They are currently taking refuge in Kyeinchaung, Khwasone, and Gyitchaung in Maungdaw Township, as well as in Upper Bokalay and Lower Bokalay villages in Buthidaung Township.

Mro internally displaced people (IDPs) reported that their livelihoods have been severely affected by security challenges, including ARSA threats and landmine risks.

“Some people who had to flee couldn’t even harvest rice from their farms, which has made life really hard for them. Mro people usually make a living by fishing or gathering wild vegetables from the forest, but now they’re facing a lot of difficulties because they can’t do their usual work to get by,” a Maungdaw local said.

Most Mro residents depend on hunting, fishing, bamboo cutting in forests and mountains, and small-scale farming near their villages. Those who fled said they could not bring stored rice or household goods with them, raising serious concerns about food security.

“People couldn’t take many belongings with them. They had to move to places about 10 miles away, so they had to leave their rice behind in the villages. Even if they wanted to go back for their supplies, they’re not allowed to, which makes getting by every day really hard,” said an ethnic Mro man.

The threats from ARSA and the risk of landmines continue to endanger Maungdaw residents, many of whom rely on forests for their livelihoods.

On November 14, U Daung Roi, a 42-year-old Mro man from Khontaing Village, was killed by a landmine while cutting bamboo on a nearby mountain.

The border areas of northern Maungdaw in Arakan State and Bangladesh are regions where ARSA, the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), and the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) are active, with incidents of abductions, killings, and landmine planting causing fear and anxiety among the local population.