By RYDA Documentation Team
Rohingya Youth Development Association (RYDA)
Rakhine State, Myanmar | August 18, 2026

Rakhine State, Myanmar: More than 450 Rohingya women have reportedly been forcibly recruited by the Arakan Army (AA) across 14 townships under its control in northern Rakhine State, according to information that Rohingya residents told the Rohingya Youth Development Association (RYDA).

RYDA teams personally met with several Rohingya women and their family members who told RYDA about the pressure they experienced to join the Arakan Army. Some of the women and families told RYDA that the pressure became so severe that they were forced to flee their homes and communities to escape recruitment and further pressure from the AA side.

The reported recruitment has caused deep concern and fear among Rohingya communities and families. Residents told RYDA that families are increasingly worried about the safety of their daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, and other female family members. Some families told RYDA that they fear their loved ones could be pressured or forced to join the AA.

One Rohingya resident told RYDA that households without adult men were reportedly being pressured to provide a woman for recruitment. The resident also told RYDA that poorer families were facing greater pressure and had fewer options to resist.

Another Rohingya resident separately told RYDA that wealthier families had allegedly been able to avoid recruitment by making payments, while families without sufficient financial resources were reportedly more vulnerable to recruitment pressure.

Residents told RYDA that the reported recruitment is placing serious pressure on Rohingya families, particularly households with limited financial resources. Some families told RYDA that they had no safe option other than leaving their homes to protect their female family members.

Residents also told RYDA that girls under the age of 18 were among those reportedly recruited. The reported recruitment of Rohingya girls raises serious concerns about child protection, access to education, and the protection of children from involvement in armed conflict.

Children should be able to remain with their families, attend school, and grow up safely. They should not be subjected to pressure to participate in an armed conflict.

Residents further told RYDA that some recruited Rohingya women have reportedly faced restrictions concerning their religious practices and clothing. These accounts raise additional concerns regarding freedom of religion, personal dignity, autonomy, and the rights of Rohingya women.

According to information that residents told RYDA, the reported recruitment is affecting Rohingya communities in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Minbya, Thandwe, and other areas of Rakhine State.

Behind the reported figure of more than 450 are individual Rohingya women with families, responsibilities, hopes, and futures of their own. They are daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers.

The Rohingya community has already endured decades of persecution, forced displacement, statelessness, violence, and the destruction of homes and livelihoods. Residents told RYDA that some Rohingya families are now facing another devastating choice: remain in their homes under recruitment pressure or flee their communities to protect their loved ones.

For families who have already lost almost everything, being forced to abandon their homes because of recruitment pressure represents another profound threat to their safety and security.

The reported recruitment of Rohingya girls under 18 is particularly alarming. A child should be in school, protected by her family and community, and allowed to build a future in safety. She should not be pressured into an armed conflict.

RYDA calls on relevant United Nations bodies, international human rights organizations, humanitarian actors, and other appropriate independent mechanisms to urgently investigate the reported forced recruitment of Rohingya women and girls, document the testimonies of affected women, girls, and their families, independently verify the allegations, and ensure effective protection for those at risk.

Particular attention should be given to Rohingya women and girls who told RYDA that they were forced to flee their homes because of recruitment pressure, as well as families who may face retaliation, intimidation, or further coercion.

The information in this article is based on accounts that Rohingya residents, affected women, and their families told RYDA. The full reported figure of more than 450 and the complete scale of the allegations still require independent verification. RYDA has not independently verified every account or the full reported figure. However, the firsthand accounts shared with RYDA teams warrant urgent attention and credible independent investigation.

The reported recruitment has left Rohingya communities and families deeply concerned and fearful for the safety of their women and girls. Families should not have to live in fear that their daughters, sisters, wives, or mothers could be taken or pressured to join an armed group.

The Rohingya have already lost their homes, citizenship, loved ones, and generations to persecution and conflict. They should not be forced to lose their daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers to another cycle of violence.

No Rohingya woman should be forced to join an armed group. No Rohingya girl should be recruited into conflict. No Rohingya family should have to flee its home simply to protect a daughter.