Thousands flee Ponnagyun, Rathedaung as Sittwe fighting intensifies

By Admin 05 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

5 September 2026, Ponnagyun

Thousands of local residents from Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships bordering Sittwe are fleeing to safer areas due to fighting in the Arakan State capital, according to local sources.

Ponnagyun residents said they fled after intense fighting and attacks by the military junta using heavy artillery, airstrikes and rocket salvoes struck villages, causing injuries.

“Heavy artillery shells landed in Kuntaung, Padetha and Yarchaung villages, as well as in Ponnagyun Town. In Yarchaung Village, local residents were injured. People in Yarchaung and Yayphyukan villages that were hit by artillery, along with those residing in Ponnagyun Town, have begun fleeing to safer villages,” said a local woman in Ponnagyun.

On September 4, a woman from Yarchaung Village was injured when an artillery shell fired by the junta troops exploded inside the village.

Local residents from Tabethlan, Yarchaung, Ahtelthae, Hsininngyi, Yayphyukan and Chaungwa villages in Ponnagyun Township, as well as people living in Ponnagyun Town, are fleeing to safer areas.

Hundreds of local residents from Aungseik, Thanchaung, Kalarchaung, Aungma, Magyichaung, Angumaw, Kyetyoeseik and Sarpyingyi villages in Rathedaung Township are also fleeing to safety due to the clashes in Sittwe and the threat of military junta artillery fire.

“Heavy artillery shells and small arms fire have landed and exploded in the fields near our villages. Some unexploded ordnance also remains. As we constantly hear the sound of heavy artillery and small arms fire, residents are terrified and are seeking refuge in nearby villages or in villages where they have relatives,” said a local man in Rathedaung.

Heavy fighting between the military junta and the Arakan Army has been raging along the Sittwe and Ponnagyun border since September 4 and continues today.

As nine Sittwe-based junta battalions and naval warships are continuously firing heavy artillery, the Arakan Army has temporarily closed traffic along the highway near Ponnagyun Town.

“The fighting remains intense this morning. All night long, they attacked us with heavy artillery and aircraft. As heavy artillery shells exploded on and near the highway, the roads have been closed since this morning. Passage is completely blocked. The military junta is firing indiscriminately at everything,” said a local man in Ponnagyun.

Fighting across Arakan State has simultaneously intensified in the remaining junta-held towns of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, with the military junta relying primarily on air and naval power for its attacks.

The military junta is also attempting amphibious landings from the sea in Gwa and Thandwe townships in southern Arakan State.