Akha people have enjoyed socio-economic development as they followed the path paved by the government, said Min Aung Hlaing as he again attempted to convince EAOs to join peace talks.

The Arakkha Army (AA) clashed with the Myanmar military after the ethnic armed group fired mortar shells into a junta security checkpoint near Kyarmathauk Village in Arakan State's Sittwe Township on Friday morning.

Of the more than 11,000 displaced people in Kyaukphyu Township, about 6,000 are living in rural areas where transportation is difficult, giving rise to multiple crises.

Daw Mya Thein Wai, 50, was killed by shrapnel while she was at her home when an artillery shell fired by a junta battalion in Sittwe fell and exploded in the village on Friday night.

The ethnic armed group banned the import of all foreign and domestic alcoholic drinks into Arakan State on September 19, giving shops three more months to sell off their stocks.

The regime is also building new bases near Nat Yay Kan and Kan Myint Kan bases along the Ann-Padan road.

The Myanmar Navy vessels were deployed in the last week of December, and currently, at least ten warships surround Sittwe.

In a video released by the AA on Thursday, Brigadier-General Kyaw Kyaw Than, the chief of staff of the military’s Western Command, who is in AA custody, urged officers and soldiers in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung towns to surrender to the ethnic armed group, citing difficulties with sending reinforcements to Arakan State due to its geographical position.

A source close to the AA said that despite the regime’s fierce resistance, including army, navy and aerial support, the AA’s heavy offensive has allowed it to penetrate LIB No. 562 territory.

The Arakkha Army (AA) said on December 26 that one person was killed and several others were injured when a passenger bus carrying 16 people was fired upon by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.

Thousands of migrant workers, including Arakan State residents, are going hungry and struggling to make ends meet in Muse, a town on the Myanmar-China border in northern Shan State.

IDPs from Jeittaw, Ngapali, Myapyin, Zeephyugon and Lintha villages moved to Thandwe Town after the Arakkha Army (AA) seized control of the district-level town in late June.

With resistance forces across Myanmar ramping up offensive operations, the regime has lost control of 89 towns, according to a recent report by Burma News International (BNI).

Some 300 internally displaced people (IDPs) from Arakan State taking refuge in Yekyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region, were forced to relocate to Kyonepyaw and Hinthada townships on December 25.

The conflict in Arakan State has been raging for more than one year, and the military regime’s aerial bombardment, artillery shelling, arson, and laying of landmines have caused extensive damage to homes, buildings, and roads and bridges.

Refugees said a 7-year-old child and a 64-year-old man were killed, and the injured were being treated at a clinic in the refugee camp.

“Partial liberation cannot free everyone; only complete liberation can be achieved. This victory is not only a victory for the Arakanese people, but also a victory for all ethnic groups,” the message reads.

On December 23, junta-appointed village administrators, police and soldiers pressured about 900 Arakanese IDPs in Kwa Tauk Ward and Kon Pyin Village in Yekyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region, to leave within two days.

Myanmar’s military regime reportedly banned Christmas celebrations in the Arakan State capital Sittwe due to regional instability and security concerns.