Wholesale rice prices in the junta-controlled capital of Arakan State have surged close to K300,000 per bag during the monsoon season, worsening an already severe food insecurity crisis and contributing to rising urban crime, local merchants said Wednesday.

Residents in Myanmar's western Buthidaung Township are urging the United League of Arakan (ULA) to expand public Starlink satellite internet services and simplify registration procedures for privately owned systems amid an ongoing telecommunications blockade, local sources said Wednesday.

Relatives of Ko Win Zaw Tun and Ko Zaw Lin, two young men from Arakan State serving life sentences in Thailand over a 2014 double homicide case, are hoping for a rare prison visit later this month, facilitated by diplomatic officials and human rights advocates.

A Myanmar military junta offensive column attempting to recapture a strategic position was forced to withdraw after being ambushed by Arakan Army (AA) forces and allied resistance groups in Padaung Township, Bago Region, local military sources said Wednesday.

A coalition of Arakan Army and resistance forces has captured a strategically important junta military outpost near the Arakan mountain range in Ayeyarwady Region, local military sources reported Tuesday.

Myanmar military junta airstrikes and other human rights violations killed at least 702 civilians between August 2025 and January 2026, according to a report released Monday by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Poor public waste disposal practices and failures in garbage collection services under the United League of Arakan (ULA) administration have caused a growing garbage crisis in several major towns in Arakan State, residents reported Tuesday.

The military junta's National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC), led by Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, has held a series of meetings this month with China-border ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in Shan State, including the United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA-Mong La), and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP).

A group of 33 independent domestic and exiled Arakanese journalists has established the Arakha Press Council (APC) to support media development, protect frontline reporters, and promote press freedom amid escalating conflict, the organization announced Monday.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing's recent state visit to Beijing has triggered serious concerns among regional analysts who warn of shifting geopolitical dynamics and impending diplomatic pressure on Myanmar's revolutionary forces, local monitors reported Saturday.

War affected communities and humanitarian networks across Arakan State marked World Refugee Day on Saturday with renewed calls for the lifting of military blockades restricting humanitarian aid from reaching hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians.

Junta-registered Arakan political parties and lawmakers are facing public criticism for remaining silent as military airstrikes continue to kill civilians across Arakan State, residents and activists reported Saturday.

Coordinated formation airstrikes launched by the military junta across Arakan State have caused mounting civilian casualties, killing at least 13 people and injuring 31 others in June, local monitors reported Saturday.

Escalating monsoon rains and flash floods from mountainous areas have triggered severe riverbank erosion across Arakan State, raising concerns among riverside communities over potential climate related disasters.

Military officers under the Myanmar junta in Sittwe are accused of demolishing abandoned civilian homes and selling timber from the properties for profit, according to local sources.

A Hepatitis A outbreak is spreading across areas administered by the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, with local residents reporting deaths linked to the disease and health workers urging preventive measures.

Farmers across Arakan State are reducing cultivation and abandoning farmland as soaring production costs, labour shortages and weak market demand continue to undermine the agricultural sector, local residents said on Thursday.

Bangladesh is facilitating dialogue between Myanmar's military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) in an effort to promote stability in Arakan State and create conditions for the repatriation of Muslim refugees, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said.

Heavy fighting has broken out along the Ann-Padan Road after military junta troops launched an operation from Ngaphe Township in Magway Region to reinforce the Nat Yay Kan tactical base, according to military sources.