Over 1,000 IDPs in Ponnagyun face starvation as firewood sales fail to offset soaring prices

By Admin 16 Feb 2026

DMG Newsroom

16 February 2026, Ponnagyun

More than 1,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in Theltaw Village, Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, are facing the threat of starvation as income from firewood sales fails to keep pace with soaring commodity prices.

The camp hosts over 1,000 people displaced from Kyetkaingtan, Twyeetel and Kyaytawpaik villages in Sittwe Township, as well as Aidin Village in Ponnagyun Township.

With humanitarian aid scarce, IDPs rely primarily on collecting and selling firewood. However, they say their daily earnings are far below the rising cost of basic food items.

“We can’t even earn K10,000 a day here. In the market, four ticals of fish costs around K20,000. We can’t even afford dried fish anymore,” said Daw Hla Thein Phyu, an IDP woman from Aidin Village.

The ongoing blockade of Arakan State by Myanmar’s military regime has resulted in severe job shortages and sharp inflation. While communities across the state are struggling, displaced families are among the hardest hit.

Humanitarian assistance from international organizations, once a lifeline for many, has largely ceased, leaving IDPs to fend for themselves.

Residents of the Theltaw camp must cross several mountain ranges to gather firewood. Despite the strenuous labour, they earn only about K10,000 per day — insufficient to feed a family under current market conditions.

“My grandson often goes to school without eating. When he returns, he doesn’t complain about hunger. He goes straight to the mountains to cut wood. We only eat if we can sell firewood,” said Daw Ma Hla Than, an IDP woman from Kyetkaingtan Village. She added that her grandson, a Grade 11 student, must cross two or three mountains to collect enough wood to sell.

The daily struggle for food has also left families unable to afford healthcare or adequately support their children’s education. IDPs are calling for urgent humanitarian assistance as food insecurity deepens.

Nearly 600,000 people have been displaced in Arakan State by the ongoing conflict, facing dwindling aid, rising prices and limited livelihood opportunities.