Total of POWs and family members freed by AA in four days has exceeded 700

Narinjara News, 21 May 2025

The AA has reportedly freed another 184 prisoners of war and relatives who were detained by the Arakan Army (AA) amid the conflict to seize Mrauk-U, Rakhine State.

They were set free on May 19, a source close to the ULA/AA in Mrauk-U verified to Narinjara.

"There are kids, the elderly. They are relatives who were seized when the battalions were overtaken in Mrauk U; not all of them were included in the release. They would be released individually following thorough examination," he stated.

The AA seized the Mrauk-U township entirely on February 8, 2024, and numerous prisoners of war were apprehended.

The AA also freed 313 prisoners of war along with their families who were captured during the Mrauk-U battle in February 2025.

On May 19, the AA freed 184 prisoners of war along with their families from Mrauk-U Township, 32 prisoners of war who emerged from the conflict in Maungdaw Township, over 300 prisoners of war and their families from Buthidaung Township on May 18, and 225 prisoners of war and their families from Minbya Township on May 16.

In four days, the AA has freed a sum of 741 prisoners of war along with their families.

The AA has been freeing prisoners of war and their families who surrendered to them during the conflict in Rakhine State, along with those captured during the fighting, and currently, there are thousands of released prisoners of war.