On the evening of September 28, Arakan Army (AA) security troops found the bodies of six locals, who had been detained and executed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), between Milepost 56 on the Arakan (Rakhine) State–Bangladesh border and Upper Innchaung Village in Maungdaw Township.
AA troops patrolling the border discovered six badly decayed bodies, reduced to skeletons, in banana groves near Upper Innchaung Village. ARSA members had dumped the bodies in four separate locations within the banana groves.
Upon further investigation, the AA identified the bodies as those of villagers from Tamanthar and Done Nyo in Maungdaw Township, who had been abducted, tortured and killed by ARSA troops.
“Here in this border area, the ARSA threat has grown so severe that it’s no longer safe for people to live. The AA is patrolling to provide security, but because the jungle is so dense and it’s easy to slip across into Bangladeshi territory, its protection is limited. That’s why we locals have to stay constantly vigilant,” said a source from the border region.
In September, ARSA troops crossed the Bangladesh border and attacked an AA encampment in Done Nyo Village, as well as the AA’s Point 601 Hill border security outpost between Mileposts 56 and 57.
During the fighting, ARSA combatants captured all non-Muslim residents in the area, tortured and killed them, and then dumped their bodies, locals reported.
“Our village is about 10 miles from Upper Innchaung, and because both are in the border area there’s regular trade between them — but if you run into ARSA members along the way you can be abducted and killed. That’s why we want the AA to do more to secure the border,” a Tamanthar villager said.
The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA, said that ten people from Tamanthar and Innchaung villages are currently reported missing.
The AA acknowledged that maintaining border security between Myanmar and Bangladesh is a complex challenge, and that ARSA troops are difficult to track and neutralize once they escape into Bangladesh.
The AA has warned against traveling alone or in small groups in forests or remote areas, as insurgent groups like ARSA and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) continue to pose a serious threat to border communities.
The AA also urged locals to inform ULA officials and AA security personnel in advance if they need to travel for emergencies, such as health-related issues.
On September 27, the AA warned that if the Bangladesh government does not effectively counter ARSA and RSO operations along its border, it could further escalate tensions in border security and bilateral relations.
The AA seized control of Maungdaw Township on December 8, 2024.
