Junta accused of setting fire to homes in Maungdaw Twsp village

By Admin 16 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
16 August 2024, Maungdaw

Some uninhabited villages in Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township, where fighting between the military and Arakkha Army (AA) is escalating, are reportedly being targeted with arson attacks.

Junta soldiers set fire to homes in Maungni (Muslim) Village near Maungdaw Town on Thursday night, according to eyewitnesses.

Junta soldiers torched Maungni (Muslim) Village after the AA evacuated locals trapped by fighting on August 14, said eyewitnesses in Maungdaw.

“All people trapped by the fighting have been rescued by the AA. Fighting continues to intensify in Maungni. Junta soldiers set fire to homes in Maungni Village last night. We can see smoke rising from some homes destroyed by junta soldiers. I don’t know the number of homes burned down by junta soldiers,” said a Maungdaw resident.

A junta jet fighter meanwhile carried out an air attack after the military clashed with the AA near Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion No. 5 in Maungdaw’s Myothugyi Ward on Thursday.

“Fighting was fierce near BGF Battalion No. 5 yesterday. The regime launched an airstrike on AA positions near the BGF Battalion No. 5. A few junta soldiers remain in downtown Maungdaw, but the AA is still attempting to seize control of the border town,” said another Maungdaw resident.

Junta soldiers and armed Muslim men reportedly burnt down some homes in Aungbala Village, Maungdaw Township, on the morning of July 14.

A coalition force consisting of about 50 junta soldiers and Muslim militiamen entered Aungbala and Waithali villages and torched at least 10 homes on July 11.

The AA has reportedly evacuated thousands of local people who were trapped by fighting between the military and AA forces in Maungdaw Town and nearby villages since August 7.

Clashes have intensified as the AA is currently attacking Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5 on the outskirts of Maungdaw Town, and some junta soldiers have reportedly fled to Bangladesh.