By Jar Seng / MPA
Intense clashes between the military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) have displaced more than 50,000 residents from Gwa Township in southern Rakhine State’s Thandwe District. According to aid workers, those forced from their homes are now in urgent need of food and medical supplies.
The AA has been launching offensives to capture Gwa Township since 2024. Many locals who fled from Taing Kyoe and Kan Tha Yar are struggling even to secure a single meal.
A displaced villager from Taing Kyoe said, “When we fled, my family didn’t bring anything with us, so did other families. With the onset of Winter, the weather is getting colder. We can only hope for assistance from donors to get regular meals.”
An aid worker reported that as the AA continues offensives near villages Sat Thwar, Tha Pyu Chaung, Dei Boke, Kyway Chaing, and Zee Kone— located about 13 miles from Gwa Town, the number of displaced people may surge up.
Another aid worker from Gwa explained, “More people are fleeing from Taing Kyoe and other villages because of the intensifying clashes. For now, we are raising funds to support their food and water needs.”
The junta has restricted the transport of food, medicines, and other supplies into Gwa Township since August, prompting shortages and steep price hikes.
Additionally, locals reported that all junta’s administrative mechanisms in Gwa Township have been defunct since September, with all junta staff evacuating.
A local from Gwa shared, “Since clashes began in August, the junta has blockaded roads. Supplies ran out, and prices skyrocketed. Medicines are hard to find; when they’re available, prices are inflated. A common ointment that used to cost 1,000 kyats now costs three to four times as much.”
After capturing Kyientali, located between Thandwe and Gwa on Aug 13, the AA advanced into Gwa Township, the southernmost township in Rakhine State.
The junta has fortified its defenses on the outskirts of Gwa town, aiming to prevent the AA from entering the area with the reinforcements having been deployed to Infantry Battalions 562 and 563 as well as to the artillery battalion along the Kan Tha Yar coast.
A representative from the Gwa Township IDP Relief Organization explained, “The number of displaced people is growing as the clashes are intensifying. We’ve launched a ‘1,000 Kyats per Meal’ donation campaign, working with our team to provide assistance.”
Due to the danger of the military’s airstrikes and heavy artillery, the locations of the displaced people are currently designated in numerical order. The organization stated that they are only able to provide food and medical supplies to zones 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9.
Since clashes resumed in Rakhine State on Nov 13, 2023, approximately 800,000 people have been displaced. The UN Development Program (UNDP) estimates that by 2025, over two million people in Rakhine State may face food shortage.