Thousands of IDPs in Thandwe Twsp need emergency food aid

By Admin 15 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
15 June 2024, Thandwe

Thousands of local people displaced by fighting between the military and Arakkha Army (AA) in Thandwe Township, Arakan State, are in urgent need of food assistance, residents said.

Commodity prices have risen and internally displaced people (IDPs) are facing livelihood hardships following the regime’s restrictions on the importation of goods and medicine into Thandwe Township since April 13.

“The demand for food is very high and we cannot buy goods. IDPs are facing food challenges due to commodity shortages,” said an aid worker in Thandwe Township.

Clashes between the military and AA displaced thousands of local people in Thandwe Township with IDPs taking refuge at monasteries and schools.

Some villages in Shwehlay Village-tract on the Thandwe-Taungup road, where fighting was fierce, are reportedly struggling to buy food, locals said.

“In Thandwe, there are not as many social support groups as in northern Arakan State. Locals in some villages face difficulties buying food and medicine. Residents in Thandwe Township will starve to death in the long run due to food shortages,” said a Thandwe resident.

There are 16 temporary displacement camps in Thandwe Township. Locals are helping the IDPs with food as much as they can, but it is not enough.

It has been more than two months since the military first clashed with the AA in Thandwe Township. The fighting, which started more than 20 miles from Thandwe Town, is now just two miles away.