IDPs in Myebon Township face food shortages

By Myat Swe 31 Mar 2020

Myat Swe | DMG
March 31, Myebon

Internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering at Sanyin camp in Arakan State’s Myebon Township are facing food shortages, according to camp official Ashin Thabarwa Nadi.

He said the camp was down to just three bags of rice for its 779 inhabitants. With the camp receiving less relief aid than in the past, residents are struggling to meet basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

“We have lots of people living in the camp. But we only have three bags of rice at the moment. It is not enough to distribute to all the people for even just an evening,” Ashin Thabarwa Nadi said.

People from several surrounding villages including Hinn Khayaw and Ingyin fled to the Sanyin camp due to fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA) ethnic armed group.

Camp officials said IDPs were eager to step beyond the camp’s confines in order to work for a living, but were prevented from doing so by Tatmadaw troops stationed in the area.

“We are more concerned about livelihoods than the current coronavirus outbreak because we cannot survive without food,” Ashin Thabarwa Nadi said, referring to another threat looming over IDPs.

The Tatmadaw has warned that the Sanyin camp is close to a conflict zone and, as such, has instructed camp officials to relocate the temporary settlement to a less volatile area.