By Jar Seng / MPA
In Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, displaced people need assistance for food and shelter with some displaced families struggling to eat regular meals, according to local sources.
Since November 2023, due to ongoing conflicts in Rakhine State, civilians fleeing from Sittwe, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Pauktaw, Thandwe, and Ponnagyun have sought refuge in safer areas within Ponnagyun Township. They are facing difficulties because they have not received aid from international or local organizations.
“The Navy entered the village without prior notice, so we fled with just the clothes on our backs. We left everything behind, including rice and paddy. Now, at the displaced camp, there are people from all the villages, and most are unemployed. There haven’t been any donors. Some people are going hungry. It’s been more than a month, almost two months,” said a woman displaced from Byine Phyu Village in Sittwe Township.
Since there are no donors, displaced people in Ponnagyun Township do not have regular meals, and some families have not had rice to eat for the past three or four days, according to the displaced people.
Currently, there are around 80,000 displaced people in Ponnagyun Township, with more than six displacement camps. The people living in these camps are experiencing increased hardship due to a lack of employment and donor support.
Among the displaced people in Ponnagyun Township, 151 households consisting of 636 people from Aung Myay Kone Village in Ponnagyun Township, and Tawkan, Kyay Taw Ywarma, Kyay Taw Paik Seik, and Byinephyu Villages in Sittwe Township, are in urgent need of food supplies.
“We are only able to help about one-fourth of Ponnagyun Township. The number of displaced people will be higher than that. Displaced people on the other side of the town at U Raz Mountain are calling us for help. We assist them as much as we can with donations from people, but it’s not enough. All the displaced people need help, but over a hundred families are in desperate need right now for food and shelter,” said Ko Pyae Phyo Naing, the chairman of the Ponnagyun Youth Association.
Since November 13, 2023, the military council has blocked transportation and trade to Rakhine State, causing price hikes and nearly halting the flow of money.
In addition, due to ongoing clashes in Rakhine State, the local population is suffering from unemployment and displacement from their homes, leading many to experience mental trauma, and there have even been cases of suicide, according to locals.
“On September 22, a young person from a displaced family near the Ponnagyun-Kyauk Taw highway took his own life due to unemployment and the difficulties of survival,” said a local from Ponnagyun.
Most of the displaced people in Ponnagyun Township are trying to survive by working in forests and mountains, but due to income inequality and a lack of buyers, they continue to face challenges.
“Most of the displaced people go to the mountains to collect firewood. They probably make around 8,000 kyats a day, which is a lot for them. But if their children get infected with skin diseases, they don’t have the money for treatment. We do our best to help with donations, and today we went to donate as well. However, the number of displaced people is so large that the aid is insufficient,” said a representative from the Lin Yaung Chi Foundation.
Currently, the Arakan Army (AA) has taken control of 10 townships within Rakhine State and in Paletwa in Chin State, including Ponnagyun Township, which was captured in March 2024. However, due to the threat of airstrikes and security concerns, residents have not been allowed to return to the town.
Due to the ongoing conflict in Rakhine State, nearly 600,000 people have been displaced, and on August 16, AA called for international and civil society organizations, and donors, to provide humanitarian assistance.