Fighting in Arakan (Rakhine) State has displaced about 500,000 people, most of whom are sheltering elsewhere in the state with many facing difficulty finding safe, affordable places to stay.
Some of the displaced (IDPs) have fled to neighbouring countries, some have been able to rent houses where they are sheltering, but most are in IDP camps. The number of IDPs in Arakan State is still rising as more people are displaced by fighting and airstrikes.
The junta has lost control of 14 townships in Arakan State to the Arakan Army (AA) and it has increased retaliatory airstrikes and artillery attacks on the areas it has lost. Such random, unpredictable airstrikes on AA-held residential areas mean that IDPs struggle to find somewhere safe to shelter and frequently have to move.
An IDP who recently left AA-controlled Kyaukphyu Town said to DMG: “My family used to take refuge in Kyauktaw Town, but after two straight days of bombing there, we didn’t dare stay any longer and had to leave. Now, we’re trying to find a house to rent in the rural area of Kyaukphyu Township. But the rent is about 400,000 MMK a month, and as IDPs, we simply can’t afford that. So for now, we’re staying temporarily at a monastery.”
Previously the monthly rent for a house accommodating five people in AA-controlled Kyaukphyu Township used to be between 30,000 and 50,000 MMK a month in 2024, but in 2025 rental prices for such a house have risen to between 150,000 and 1,000,000 MMK a month.
Skyrocketing rents have only added to IDPs financial hardships as they are already grappling with other hardships such as a lack of jobs and increased prices for goods, including basic food. But, when IDP camps are full IDPs have to either rent a house at great cost, or if they cannot afford that, they are forced to live in makeshift tents near forests, in open fields, and on vacant land.
An IDP woman currently sheltering in AA-controlled Kyauktaw Township said: “Because the IDP camps are already full, my family has to choose to live in a rented house. We pay 200,000 MMK a month for rent. No one in our family has a steady job. I’ve told my two sons to take any work they can get—even as coolies in the market—if there’s a chance. Setting aside worries about food, how can a family with no steady income manage to pay 200,000 MMK every month just for rent?”
She also said that her family had only managed to survive by selling small quantities of gold that they had saved.
Another IDP in AA-controlled Mrauk-U Township whose family cannot afford to rent a house said to DMG: “Rising rents might not be a problem for well-off IDP families, but for poor families like ours, it’s a heavy burden. These days, we’re just struggling to find even a small spot where we can lay down and rest.”
DMG has found that some landlords in the AA-controlled townships of Kyaukphyu, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Ponnagyun, and Myebon are exploiting the high demand for housing caused by the influx of IDPs and charging exorbitant rents of 300,000 to 500,000 MMK for a family sized house that would normally be rented out for about 100,000 MMK a month.
A young man from Kyaukphyu Township said: “I really think it’s wrong to charge sky-high rents to IDPs who are already going through so much. Those who are lucky enough not to be displaced should rent their houses to families forced from their homes at fair prices. With all the war and economic hardship in Arakan State right now, greedily raising rents is just shameful. Honestly, it’s something that should never happen.”
To address the current housing challenges faced by IDPs, residents of Arakan State have proposed solutions such as setting rent at reasonable rates and expanding or establishing additional IDP camps.
It is uncertain when the 500,000 IDPs displaced in Arakan State will be able to return to their homes as currently there is no end in sight for the fighting in Arakan State.
