More than 40,000 war displaced flood across border into Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region

Two-thirds of the population of Rakhine’s Gwa township have fled fighting between the military and ethnic rebels.
By RFA Burmese
2024.08.29
More than 40,000 war displaced flood across border into Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region People from Taing Kyoe village who have been displaced by fighting are seen in Gwa township, Rakhine state on Aug. 13, 2024.
Citizen Photo

Read this story in Burmese: “ဂွမြို့နယ်က စစ်ဘေးဒုက္ခသည်တွေ ဧရာဝတီတိုင်းမှာ နေထိုင်ဖို့ခက်ခဲနေ"

As the fight between the military and ethnic rebels for the southernmost township in Myanmar’s Rakhine state escalates, more than 40,000 civilians have streamed across the border into neighboring Ayeyarwady region, residents said Thursday.

The push to the southern border with Ayeyarwady region is the latest advance for the Arakan Army, or AA, which ended a truce with the military in November and has gone on to control nine townships and three sub-townships in Rakhine state, as well as Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state to the north.

The AA’s advance south into areas traditionally on the edge of its influence could signal that the army wants to establish a foothold in central Myanmar and take on a more central role in any post-conflict national reconciliation process, rather than staying on the sidelines as a marginal ethnic armed group.

People displaced by fighting in Rakhine state’s Gwa township are seen in Nga Thai Chaung township of Ayeyarwady region on Aug. 12, 2024. (Eternal Loving-kindness Free Funeral Services Society – Gwa)
People displaced by fighting in Rakhine state’s Gwa township are seen in Nga Thai Chaung township of Ayeyarwady region on Aug. 12, 2024. (Eternal Loving-kindness Free Funeral Services Society – Gwa)

Speaking to RFA Burmese on Thursday, residents of Ayeyarwady region’s Thabaung township said that the fighting in Rakhine state’s Gwa township is now centered on Kyeintali town, and that 42,434 civilians – or two-thirds of Gwa’s population – had crossed into Ayeyarwady seeking shelter over the past two weeks.

“War-displaced persons have arrived in Thar Paung township via jungle routes, as they were prohibited from entering at junta checkpoints on the roads,” said one resident of Thabaung who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “They had nothing to eat for about seven days during their journey.”

The resident said that many of the displaced lack travel documents and residence permits from their local officials, and that authorities in Ayeyarwady are allowing them to stay on the outskirts of their towns.

Most of the displaced have taken refuge in the Ayeyarwady townships of Thabaung, Yegyi, Kyonpyaw, Kyangin, Myanaung, Kwin Kauk and Nga Thai Chaung, he added.

Prices are high

Residents of Ayeyarwady told RFA that with the influx of displaced people from Gwa township, home rental prices have risen three-fold from about 200,000 kyats (US$95) to 600,000 kyats (US$285) per month.

A resident of Gwa township who fled to Nga Thai Chaung township in Ayeyarwady said that the financial situation facing the displaced is dire.

“Around two-thirds of residents from Gwa township are now displaced persons, while the remaining one-third is still trapped in Gwa,” he said. “All the commodity prices, except rice, are high here [in Ayeyarwady]. We all are facing various challenges.”


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The junta has restricted traffic to one way, heading east toward Ayeyarwady, on the road from Gwa township across the border to Nga Thai Chaung since Aug. 26, a resident of Nga Thai Chaung said, “as they are preparing for live artillery fire in the area.” 

Additionally, the routes across the border via the jungle are now flooded because of the rainy season, and displaced residents of Gwa township have been unable to return home to gather any belongings or tend to their farms, he said.

Attempts by RFA to contact Khin Maung Kyi, the junta minister of social affairs, and Rakhine state spokesperson Hla Thein for additional information on the situation facing those displaced by the conflict in Gwa township went unanswered Thursday.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

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