Mro IDP returnees face long road to rehabilitation

By Admin 15 Jul 2025

DMG Newsroom

15 July 2025, Mrauk-U

Ethnic Mro people in Arakan State who were forced to flee their homes due to fighting have now returned to their respective homes, but many are facing rehabilitation challenges.

They are still struggling to rebuild their damaged homes and are facing food shortages amid rising prices.

"Mro people often rely on their own resources to solve their problems. Not only local social organisations but also remote social organisations are also weak in supporting Mro people," said an official from the Mro University Students Association.

He added that access to healthcare and education, including mother tongue instruction, are lacking for both displaced and returning Mro children.

About 100 ethnic Mro people from Puzinchaung Village in Mrauk-U Township are also facing similar difficulties in terms of food, healthcare, and education.

Some of the Mro returnees are among the earliest uprooted by fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA), with their displacement dating back to 2019.

The AA has since taken control of most of the territory in Arakan State, and began allowing some IDPs to return to their respective homes starting in April of this year.

But after years displaced by the fighting, many Mro returnees have seen their savings long depleted, and are starting their lives from scratch upon returning home.

"The Mro University Students Association is trying to help people of all ethnic groups in Arakan State through humanitarian assistance. What is important now is to help people's difficulties from the other side," said the official from the Mro University Students Association.

Ethnic Mro people in Arakan State primarily live in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Pauktaw townships, with a population of more than 50,000.

There are more than 600,000 IDPs in Arakan State, many of whom are still unable to return home due to military regime airstrikes and other dangers posed by junta forces, including threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance.