NarinjaraNews, July 1, 2025 

The Kyaukphyu Township Emergency Relief Committee reports that more than 22,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.

Ko Aung Aung, the committee's leader, stated that only about 8,000 residents of Kyaukphyu Township had to flee due to heavy artillery fire by the junta forces before the fighting started in 2024. However, as a result of the ongoing conflict, that number has now risen to more than 22,000.

"The number of displaced people has risen dramatically since we launched the Kyaukphyu offensive here. Currently, as of last month, we have 22,308 individuals," he stated.

In Kyaukphyu Township, there has been intense combat between the military council and the Arakan Army (AA) since February 2025, which has forced many citizens to leave their homes.

As of last June, Ko Aung Aung said, the entire township has more than 22,308 refugees.

People who have been forced to leave their homes live in tents constructed on vacant land and require food, shelter, clothing, and medical treatment. Food is in particularly desperate need, according to Ko Aung Aung.

"Our committee is donating rice. IDPs always need oil, salt, a little flour, dried chilies, and onions, but because our organization is quite small, their relief is inadequate,” he said.

The majority of the villages in Kyaukphyu Township are now under the authority of the AA, while the military council continues to dominate the downtown area.

Locals claim that the fighting is now intense, with the AA attempting to capture Kyaukphyu town and the military council using every weapon at its disposal, including land, sea, and air, to defend itself.

Gas from Rakhine and oil from the Middle East are being transported via pipelines to China's Yunnan Province, making Kyaukphyu a significant hub for Chinese investment.

There is a lot of fighting going on around Pyine Say Kay, which is close to the No. (32) Police Battalion in the Gong Chwain village-tract, around the Mala Kyun area, and around Kap Tha Pyay, which is near the Dhanyawaddy Naval Headquarters in the Thit Poke Taung, Kyaukphyu Township.

The Humanitarian and Development Cooperation Office (HDCO) under the ULA estimates that there are more than 600,000 displaced people in several Rakhine townships.