Urgent aid needed for thousands of Arakanese refugees

Narinjara News, 5 September 2022

Thousands of Arakanese (Rakhine) refugees escaping the ongoing clashes between the Burmese military forces and Arakan Army members have been waiting for relief to avoid starvation, said the social workers who are collecting aid for the asylum seekers.

Fleeing from the Rakhine townships of Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Mrauk U, these thousands of villagers are now fighting for survival in temporary camps including monasteries.

A local aid worker informed that more than one thousand Rakhine refugees from northern Maungdaw township escaped the violence.

Similarly, over 5,000 people from ten villages under northern Rathedaung Township and around 1000 villagers from the southwestern part of the township fled from their places.  

In Mrauk U township, more than 700 people from Keing Seik village, where three people were killed in junta operated shelling from Mrauk U on 28 August, are also taking refuge in a local monastery. Tousands of people from Leka village and its surrounding areas in northern Mrauk U locality also fled.

A human rights activist informed that the refugees are not getting any aid from the government as well as international NGOs.

“Currently, they are surviving with the help of local donor organizations and villagers in general,” he added.

The refugees are in urgent need of food items, including rice grains, along with blankets, mosquito nets, rain-covers etc.

Many villagers from Paletwa township of Chin State are also facing similar problems.

Meanwhile, AA members attacked the Myeik Wa village-based military camp on the Myanmar-Indian border on 2 September, which was followed by the bombing of soldiers in the area from the helicopters.

No less than 500 people also left for Mizoram villages in India’s northeastern region due to the gunfighting.