Since 20 January 2025 Sittwe City based junta forces have destroyed a cottage hospital and around 200 houses in Warbo Village, Sittwe Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.

The village is about 14 miles (about 22.5km) north of the Arakan State capital, Sittwe City. Drones and artillery fire from junta battalions based in Sittwe City, including from the Sittwe Township Regional Operations Command headquarters, have burned down about two thirds of Warbo Village’s 300 houses and damaged many others, according to villagers.

Daw Than Win, a resident of Warbo Village said: “A lot of houses were destroyed. The ones still standing aren’t in good shape either.“

Fortunately, the village is already almost empty as Warbo’s roughly 1,000 residents fled when fighting between the junta and the Arakan Army (AA) broke out around the village in late 2024.

The junta has also been targeting other villages near to Sittwe City with artillery fire and airstrikes. These include the villages of Tawkan, Kyarmathauk, Kyauktangy, and Minhla.

A resident of Sittwe City said: “Junta battalions in Sittwe City have been shelling nearby villages with artillery almost every day. Most of these villages are now in ruins. In some places, where locals have fled, the junta troops have gone in, demolished houses, and looted what’s left of the villagers' belongings.”

The AA said it had also received reports that junta attacks had caused widespread damage to houses and buildings in villages around Sittwe City.

Currently, the AA and the junta are fighting and exchanging artillery fire in Sittwe Township.