In Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, where intense fighting is ongoing, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are unable to settle in one location due to airstrikes and artillery attacks on a daily basis by the military, according to local sources.
There are an estimated hundred thousand IDPs in Maungdaw Township.
The junta has been conducting attacks using jet fighters and navy vessels on villages where these displaced people are sheltering, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries.
“IDPs are staying in villages here. But, since the military council specifically targets villages where displaced people are sheltering, we can’t stay in one place. We have to keep moving from one place to another. Moving from village to village creates many difficulties,” said one displaced person.
On 21 October, the military conducted an airstrike on Hpar Wut Chaung village in Maungdaw Township where displaced people were sheltering. The airstrike killed five civilians, including displaced people, and injured more than ten people.
Due to such incidents, IDPs are afraid to remain in one location and must keep relocating. They are calling for the military council to stop attacking villages where civilians and IDPs are taking shelter.
“These attacks are creating difficulties for relocation and resettlement efforts. They (the military council) are increasingly targeting civilian areas in addition to the combat zones,” said a displaced woman from Maungdaw.
Due to the large displaced population in the Maungdaw, there are many needs including food and security. IDPs are requesting assistance from international organizations.
Furthermore, heavy rainfall on 21 October in the township has further complicated the situation for displaced people, they report.
Currently, the Arakha Army (AA) is conducting offensives against Border Guard Police Battalion-5 to take full control of the border town of Maungdaw, while the junta is defending with artillery and airstrikes.
Sent by Aung Htein (DMG)