In Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, thousands of houses have been destroyed and set ablaze by the Junta troops along with their trained Muslim collaborators.
The destruction predominantly targeted houses in Wards No. 3, 4, 5, and 7 of Buthidaung, including residences belonging to both Rakhine and Hindu communities.
"The homes of Rakhine people were burned, while some others were bulldozed. These actions resulted in a significant number of homes being destroyed”, a Buthidaung resident said.
Because of the fierce clashes between the Arakha Army (AA) and the Junta, the majority of residents have been displaced by the war, leaving only a small number of locals remaining in Buthidaung.
"Our house got destroyed by a bulldozer, and they took all valuables after it collapsed”, a woman who fled Buthidaung said.
In Buthidaung, the Junta troops and Muslim militiamen, trained by them, initiated widespread arson attacks on April 11.
On April 15, the office and pharmacy of Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Buthidaung were also set ablaze, causing extensive damage to medicine and medical equipment, MSF announced.
Amidst significant setbacks in the Rakhine State conflicts, the Junta is deliberately targeting civilians and their properties, exacerbating human rights violations and fueling ethnic tensions.
"The Junta is compelling Rohingya Muslims into forced military training and perpetrating acts of destruction with the intent of fueling tensions between two communities”, Ro Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC) told DMG.
Currently, daily fighting continues as AA ramps up offensives to seize Junta fortifications surrounding Buthidaung and Maungdaw.