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Two weeks of intense fighting between the military and anti-junta rebels near an enclave for Chinese development in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state has forced more than 20,000 civilians to flee their homes, leaving them in urgent need of food and medicine, according to residents and aid workers.
The Arakan Army, or AA, is one of Myanmar’s most powerful insurgent groups and has been fighting for control of the west coast port of Kyaukphyu. The rebel army has nearly achieved its objective of defeating the forces of the junta that seized power in 2021 across the whole of Rakhine state.
An aid worker in Kyaukphyu told RFA Burmese that clashes between the AA and the military have intensified near the junta’s Danyawaddy naval base in the township since Feb. 20, forcing residents of at least 10 nearby villages to seek shelter.
“The number of displaced people has risen from 10,000 to approximately 20,000 [since fighting escalated],” said the worker who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “The newly displaced include residents from both the villages and the town.”
The AA, which draws its support from the state’s ethnic Rakhine Buddhist majority, has captured 14 of Rakhine state’s 17 townships, defeating the military in battle after battle since late 2023 in a stunning advance.
Kyaukphyu, one of the insurgents’ last big targets in the state, is on a natural harbor in the northwestern corner of Ramree Island, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the commercial capital Yangon.
Besides its natural deep-sea harbor, the area has access to abundant oil, natural gas, and marine resources.
China plans a deep-sea port in the Kyaukphyu special economic zone, or SEZ, as a hub for its Belt and Road development strategy.
Oil and natural gas are already flowing from Kyaukphyu terminals to southern China’s Yunnan province, giving China an alternative route for its oil imports in case of conflict in the South China Sea.
Since the AA launched its push on Kyaukphyu on Feb. 20, the military has responded with attacks from the air and from naval vessels at sea.
Displaced in need of aid
RFA spoke with another aid worker in Kyaukphyu who said that people displaced by the past two weeks of fighting are living in temporary tents in remote mountain villages.
“Some are sheltering in tents under trees, while others take refuge in open fields or at the edge of forests,“ said the aid worker, who also declined to be named. ”Among them are many elderly persons and pregnant women. They now face severe shortages of medicine and water, in addition to rising commodity prices.”
The aid worker said that the displaced are “surviving on a small amount of donations from nearby villages and social relief groups,” and are in need of assistance from the international community.
Attempts by RFA to contact AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha and junta spokesperson Hla Thein for information on the ongoing fighting went unanswered by the time of publication.
China has not commented on the latest fighting, but has sought assurances from the junta that its assets in Myanmar will be protected.
The AA already controls nine of the 11 Chinese development projects in Rakhine state, the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar said in a report in January.
While Chinese projects have faced disruption and delays in various parts of Myanmar, anti-junta forces have generally not set out to destroy facilities. On the contrary, some groups have promised to protect Chinese investments and personnel.
Long-running conflict
The conflict in Rakhine State has lasted for more than a year, displacing over 600,000 people, the AA’s Humanitarian and Development Cooperation Office said in a December report.
Kyaukphyu resident Nay Soe Khaing told RFA he expects fighting in the township to intensify further.
“The military junta is using jet fighters and Y-12 airplanes in targeting villages, areas near the fighting, and mountains,” he said. “The junta has shown no sign of retreating, and the fighting will escalate as [both sides] are reinforcing their troops.”
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.