Since the second week of April, the exports from Lawngtlai District in Mizoram State of India to Paletwa Township in Chin State have been indefinitely suspended.

Paletwa residents said that the Mizoram authorities suspended the trade due to the increasing need for basic food items among war-displaced individuals seeking refuge in India.

"We have been told that the suspension aims to fulfill the basic food requirements of war-displaced people in Mizoram. There are also reports linking it to security measures for the Indian elections”, a trader from Paletwa told DMG.

Paletwa locals explained that goods are typically transported from Lawngtlai via the Paletwa-Mizoram Road and the Kaladan River waterways.

Rakhine State is reliant on Paletwa for importing basic food and other goods. A resident of Kyauktaw Township in Rakhine State noted that before the closure of the Paletwa-Mizoram Road, an adequate supply of food and goods could be imported, but now the flow has ceased.

"With the road closed, we cannot bring in goods from Mizoram. Right now we are only importing what is left in Paletwa to Rakhine State. Some are attempting to bring in goods from Mizoram through alternative and more challenging routes”, a Paletwa resident said.

Since the resurgence of clashes in Rakhine State on November 13 last year, the Junta has rigorously blocked both land routes and waterways in the region, causing shortages of food and medicine.

That has resulted in  residents of townships such as Ponnagyun, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, and Pauktaw becoming heavily rely on imports from India.

Arakan Army (AA) officials are collaborating with Indian authorities to guarantee food and consumer goods security in Rakhine State.