Nearly 4,000 Rakhine people conscripted by military junta in one year: UCW

Narinjara News, 10 June 2026

Between 1 May 2025 and 31 May 2026, a total of 3,993 Rakhine people were forced into military conscription by Myanmar junta forces, said a report of the Unlawful Conscription Watch (UCW).

This figure represents the second-highest number of forced conscripts in the southeast Asian country’s 15 States and regions, including the union territory of Naypyitaw .

Mandalay region recorded the highest number of conscripts with 9,434 individuals, followed by Rakhine State with 3,993 and Ayeyarwady region with 3,649.

The breakdown for other States and regions during the last 12-month period follows as Magway region (3,300), Bago region (3,121), Yangon region (2,289), Sagaing region (1,928), Tanintharyi region (1,658), Mon State (1,107), Karen State (896), Naypyitaw (773), Kachin State (469), Shan State (309) and Kayah (Karenni) State (nil).

Nationwide, the conscription figures include 86 women, one of whom hails from the Rakhine region.

Over the course of the year, the UCW documented 1,913 verified cases of forced recruitment, tracking a nationwide total of 32,974 people forced into the military service.

The Myanmar military’s forced civilian conscription has currently entered its 25th batch.

The reports of UCW, which operates under the National Unity Government's ministry of human rights, highlight a grim reality for those affected.

Many of the Rakhine recruits are young men, including factory workers in Yangon and students who are abducted during the sudden roundups or while traveling to the mainland.

=The current conscripts are being deployed directly to the front line areas, resulting in high casualties and thus prompting others to desert the battlefields.

In one documented case, a young Rakhine student from Dagon University was forcibly conscripted, but as his parents were government officials he was released following the training period. However, during his time in the camp, he witnessed a number of unwilling civilians being forced into the ranks.