deliberately put them in harm’s way on the frontlines of conflict, whilst at the same time inciting hatred and violence towards the group. The regime has sought to make Rohingya communities look ‘guilty by association’ – even though the overwhelming majority of Rohingya who fought alongside the Myanmar military and Rohingya armed groups were forcibly recruited. In many cases, they were abducted at gunpoint. The regime’s actions paved the way for abuses by ARSA and other Rohingya armed groups in Rakhine State. They also set the stage for acts of collective punishment by the Arakan Army against entire Rohingya communities. Tun Win, a Rohingya man from Buthidaung township, recently recounted how ARSA murdered his brother in 2024 for opposing their abuses, including forced marriage and arbitrary taxation. As a result, he and the rest of his family fled to Bangladesh. He told Frontier Myanmar, “We were very scared and it was very painful. They’re bullying Rohingya people. They claim they’re protecting our community, but that’s just nonsense.”62 Rohingya villagers feel trapped, and fearful of the consequences of the presence of Rohingya armed groups in northern Rakhine. The regime’s divide-and-rule tactics have torn apart the fabric of society in Rakhine State, causing deep rifts between Rakhine and Rohingya and a mutual breakdown of trust between the AA and Rohingya communities. Speaking anonymously to Frontier, a Rohingya man from Buthidaung said, “Rakhine people will misunderstand us. ARSA and RSO are coming from Bangladesh and we’re the ones who are going to suffer the consequences. They don’t represent us. They only oppress us.”63 In late March, the AA launched a major conscription drive in Rakhine State.64 Their recruitment targets men aged 18 to 45 and women aged 18 to 35. After an initial period of training, conscripts are required to complete two years of service to protect towns and villages captured by the AA, according to the reports.65 In January, BROUK received information that the AA had abducted dozens of ethnic Mro youths from seven villages in Maungdaw township for forced recruitment. Several were reported to be children as young as 13.66 BROUK has documented how hundreds of Rohingya men and youth have either been forcibly recruited into the AA or forced to participate in the AA’s military training across northern Rakhine State, and ordered to protect their villages from attacks by Rohingya armed groups.67 Following the earthquake devastation in central Myanmar, along with its allies the AA announced a 30-day cessation of offensive operations on 1 April, a day before the regime’s announcement.68 Following the pattern across the country, the regime continued its attacks in Rakhine State. On 11 April, a regime fighter jet dropped two 500-pound bombs near a Rohingya village in Pauktaw township. On 13 May, the junta carried out a devastating airstrike on the Rakhine village of Htun Ya 62 Frontier Myanmar, ‘‘They don’t represent us’: Rohingya armed groups wreak havoc in Rakhine’ (7 May 2025) available at <https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/they-dont-represent-us-rohingya-armed-groups-wreak-havoc-in-rakhine/> accessed 18 May 2025. 63 Frontier Myanmar (7 May 2025) op. cit. 64 RFA, ‘Arakan Army to begin conscription in Myanmar’s west’ (27 March 2025) available at <https://www.rfa.org/english/myanmar/2025/03/27/myanmar-arakan-army-conscription-rakhine/> and AA, ‘Public Notice and Restriction Order for Local Residents Attempting to Leave Arakan Amid Ongoing Intense Conflicts’ (22 May 2025) available at <https://t.me/aainfodesk/1376?single> accessed 23 May 2025. 65 Myanmar Now, ‘Arakan Army launches conscription drive in Myanmar’s Rakhine State’ (26 March 2025) available at <https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/arakan-army-launches-conscription-drive-in-myanmars-rakhine-state/> accessed 18 May 2025. 66 BROUK reference ICJ11-AA-RSC-FR. 67 These incidents are documented in more detail under the section ‘Other atrocity crimes & the Arakan Army’s failure to comply with the provisional measures’. 68 ‘Statement by the Three Brotherhood Alliance Announcing One Month Unilateral Humanitarian Pause, Refraining from Offensive Operations in Areas of Ongoing Conflict, to Enable Swift and Effective Post-Earthquake Rescue Efforts’ (1 April 2025) available at <https://t.me/threebrotherhoodalliance/1500> accessed 18 May 2025. 12