proper training or protection. It is almost impossible to resist, and if one does, he has to face fatal
consequences. Soyed described one man who was killed for refusing to join, and whose entire
family was subsequently targeted and shot as punishment. The process of conscription, according
to Soyed, is both harsh and continuous, without any signs of mercy or intention to stop.
Soyed Ahmed, a 32-year-old Rohingya man from Kelaidaung (Khi Hlai
Daung) village in Maungdaw Township, recounted his traumatic
experience of abduction by the AA. On July 27, 2024 he was taken
along with 30 other villagers to a remote location in the Kelaidaung (Khi
Hlai Daung) hills, where they were held captive. The AA’s primary
intent was to forcibly recruit them to fight against the Myanmar Military
Junta. They came to his village daily threatening and demanding that
young men should join them. Those who refused were either beaten or
taken away. The abduction was not random; it was part of a systematic
and coercive campaign to force young Rohingya men into war. When he
refused to join, Soyed recounted, “they tied him tightly with ropes, beat
him severely, and dragged him to their hideout. Their intention was
clear; they wouldn't leave him until he obeys their orders.
As already said, conscripts were pushed into active conflict zones without any training or proper
equipment. Kamal, a 65-year-old man from Maungdaw, narrated to us that over a hundred
individuals from his locality alone were conscripted and then deployed to the frontlines, where
most perished. With no concern for their safety or survival, this form of exploitation reflects an
utter disregard for Rohingya lives. This also gets reflected in the testimonies when they say that
the AA forces, coerces, and uses violence to conscript them. The community has nothing to gain
from the war, but still, the armed group seeks to exploit them for its conflict. The disregard for
their life can also be judged from the fact that not joining conscription demands often resulted in
brutal punishment not only for the individual in question but for their entire family. Kamal
recounted that when men rejected recruitment, their families were persecuted, extorted, and
threatened. In some cases, as narrated by Soyed Ahmed, families were shot at or subjected to
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