Displaced for four years, 2,000 IDPs in Buthidaung Twsp unable to return home

Many internally displaced people (IDPs) from Buthidaung Township, who fled their homes since 2019 due to the fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, have not been able to return to their homes.

26 Jan 2023

DMG Newsroom
26 January 2023, Buthidaung

Many internally displaced people (IDPs) from Buthidaung Township, who fled their homes since 2019 due to the fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, have not been able to return to their homes.

More than 2,000 IDPs from the villages of Sitaung, Kanpyin, Sangotaung, Uyintha, Shitshartaung, Ngwaryonetaung, Kuntaung, Thabeiktaung and Gantgawmyaing in Buthidaung Township have not been able to return home since they have been displaced in 2019.

The IDPs are currently taking refuge at displacement camps in downtown Buthidaung such as Yanaungmyay, Lanma, Myataung and Gandaryi, and are reportedly facing many difficulties.

Despite the latest ceasefire between the military and Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, IDPs dare not return home due to the military’s presence near their villages, their homes destroyed, for fear of the possibility of fighting and risks of landmines.

IDPs earn a living by working odd-jobs such as cargo workers and masons in Buthidaung due to decreases in the provision of humanitarian aid.

There are also IDPs who are unable to return to their homes and seek better lives in foreign countries where employment prospects are deemed better.