Around 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltering in Ramree Township, Arakan (Rakhine State), are in urgent need of food and medical assistance, according to aid workers assisting them.
The IDPs sheltering in camps across Ramree Township have fled fighting in Kyaukphyu and Taungup townships in Arakan State and Sane Town in Kyaukphyu Township. They are currently unable to return home due to ongoing fighting.
An official from the Ramree Township based Rammamyi social aid group said: “IDPs are scattered throughout Ramree Township. We are helping them as much as we can, but the need for food, including rice, and medicine remains overwhelming.”
IDPs currently sheltering in Ramree Township are facing significant hardships, not only due to limited access to support, but also because of a lack of job opportunities and soaring prices.
The limited number of aid groups based in Ramree Township has meant that support for the IDPs has been insufficient and limited.
A woman from Kyaukphyu Township currently sheltering in Ramree Township said: “If possible, we would like to return home as soon as we can. The locals here are helping us as much as they can, but with no job opportunities, it's extremely hard for my family to survive. Right now, we're even struggling to have enough food to eat each day.”
The junta has imposed strict blockades on land and waterway transport routes in Arakan State. This has restricted people’s access to medical treatment and caused a shortage of medicines and goods for local people and soaring commodity prices.
An official from the Rammamyi group said: “In Ramree Township, people with underlying health conditions, such as those with chronic illnesses, are only allowed to travel to mainland regions for medical treatment if they have full documentation from the relevant junta authorities. Some patients have even died due to delays in receiving medical treatment while waiting for these documents.”
The IDPs and locals in Ramree Township is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA) and the junta has been carrying airstrikes on the township meaning that the IDPs and locals also have the added burden of living in fear of junta airstrikes.
According to the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO), the branch of the AA that deals with humanitarian issues, around 550,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Arakan State.
