Photo Essay: Lives of hardship, portraits of resilience among IDPs in Kyaukphyu

Thousands of IDPs are facing severe food challenges due to lack of humanitarian assistance and shortages of food and medicines triggered by junta blockades of land and water supply routes.

By Admin 16 Jul 2024

Photo Essay: Lives of hardship, portraits of resilience among IDPs in Kyaukphyu

DMG Newsroom
16 July 2024, Kyaukphyu

Some 13,000 local people from at least 20 villages in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, have been forced to flee junta artillery attacks, airstrikes and military raids and arrests of civilians in recent months.

About 600 internally displaced people (IDPs) are taking refuge at shelters provided by the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO) of the United League of Arakan/Arakkha Army (ULA/AA), while the remainder are largely staying at relatives’ homes and other locations deemed safer.

Thousands of IDPs are facing severe food challenges due to lack of humanitarian assistance and shortages of food and medicines triggered by junta blockades of land and water supply routes.

Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to growing malnutrition concerns.

These photos were taken by a DMG reporter during a field trip to displacement camps in Kyaukphyu Township. (Editor’s Note: The locations where the IDPs are sheltering are not disclosed due to the ongoing security situation.)

Military tensions between the military and AA are running high in Kyaukphyu, and there have been a handful of clashes between the two sides in the area.