Over 2,000 IDPs in Ann Twsp need food, healthcare services

By Admin 04 Jul 2025

DMG Newsroom

4 July 2025, Ann

More than 2,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ann Township, Arakan State, are in dire need of shelter and food during the current rainy season, and many are sick, according to IDPs.

Currently, locals are allowed to return to most villages in Ann Township, but those who fled fighting in Ann Town are still not allowed to return to the town.

The displaced people are living in monasteries and schools in the foothills of the Arakan Mountains and other villages. However, due to the high number of IDPs and insufficient housing, there are also those living in makeshift tents in fields and pastures.

"For those living in the fields and mountains, the rainy season is not a good time to live during, so they are often wet. Since the locals have not brought mosquito nets and blankets since they fled the war, there are also health concerns. If the displaced people fall seriously ill, it is difficult to treat them," an IDP man told DMG.

It is also reported that some displaced people living in fields and pastures are being relocated because landowners need to cultivate rainy season paddy.

The displaced people also said that during the rainy season, malaria and influenza are prevalent, and they face challenges such as being far from hospitals and clinics, and having both travel and financial difficulties.

In June, at least 15 IDPs lost their lives in Ann Township due to a malaria outbreak and lack of access to medicine.

A lack of regular income due to lack of employment and lack of humanitarian assistance are also causing difficulties for those displaced.

"When we fled from home, we only took what we could carry, but now, those who can afford it are trading. Those who can't afford it can't even buy rice, so they have to rely on others to help them survive," said an IDP woman.

Some IDPs in Ann Township are reportedly leaving for mainland Myanmar by any means necessary due to shortages of food, clothing and other supplies.

The displaced people from Ann are hoping to be allowed to return to the town as soon as possible. On the other hand, there are concerns about continued airstrikes by the military regime in both rural and urban parts of townships occupied by the Arakan Army (AA).