Watermelon farmers in Arakan State are struggling to make ends meet due to low demand during the winter crop season, rising input costs and high transportation expenses.

In an era when daily news from Arakan is often fragmented and fast-changing, DMG's Weekly Highlights of Arakan brings clarity, depth, and context to the stories that matter most.

The family of a man killed in Gankyar Village, Pauktaw Township, Arakan State, has said it will continue to appeal a United League of Arakan (ULA) court decision, one year after the murder. The area is under the control of the Arakan Army.

The Arakan Army controls 14 townships in Arakan State, and while efforts are underway to revive local businesses, many continue to face severe challenges due to Myanmar junta roadblocks and ongoing security concerns.

Fighting has erupted near Sittwe after gunfire that briefly subsided during the election period resumed in recent days, according to local residents.

Residents of Manaung Township, which remains under Myanmar’s military control in Arakan State, are facing daily disruptions to their lives due to a blockade imposed by the Myanmar Navy.

Residents of Thandwe town in Arakan State have been sleeping in bomb shelters following two consecutive airstrikes by Myanmar's military regime that killed and injured civilians, according to local sources.

Nearly 900 civilians were killed or injured in Arakan State between January 1 and December 31, 2025, due to military conflict, according to a DMG tally.

In the junta-organized election, Dr Aye Maung and U Ba Shein-prominent politicians in Arakan State from the Arakan Front Party (AFP) and the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP)-were defeated by candidates from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

This series is designed for readers and viewers seeking a concise yet comprehensive understanding of how ongoing conflict, governance shifts, and community issues continue to shape lives across Arakan.

About half of eligible voters in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung townships in Arakan State cast ballots in the junta-organized election, according to sources close to the Union Election Commission (UEC).

Junta troops stationed at the Point 666 hilltop camp near Ma Thone Village, close to the military’s weapons factory No. 16 in Padaung Township, Bago Region, are facing shortages of food and drinking water, according to military sources on the ground.

In the first phase of the election, junta soldiers and their families were reportedly forced to vote exclusively for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), according to military sources.

Since early December, clashes have occurred almost daily across the township, with exchanges of both heavy and small arms fire.

In Sittwe, junta soldiers and police have been stationed in crowded areas and residential neighbourhoods, including schools where polling stations are located. Security has been tightened, with personnel closely monitoring pedestrians.

As the junta-organized election approaches, attacks by revolutionary forces in central Myanmar have increased.

The ethnic Thet community, one of the indigenous groups of Arakan State, is facing growing challenges to its national identity and cultural survival due to migration and a gradual decline in population.

Arakanese young people who have travelled to Yangon for various reasons say they are concerned for their safety as Myanmar’s military regime conducts a census of young university graduates.

A junta column attempting to reinforce Point 666 hilltop camp near Mathone Village in Padaung Township, Bago Region, was intercepted by a coalition force led by the Arakan Army and is now facing heavy air support from Myanmar’s military regime, according to military sources.