A Mro ethnic man was seriously injured by a landmine explosion in Jitchaung Village, northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.
Around noon on September 24, 21-year-old Ko Shwe Hat, a resident of Jitchaung Village, was heading to a terrace farm near the village when a blast seriously injured his left leg.
“He’s a terrace farmer, and his injuries from the explosion were really severe. There hadn’t been any fighting in the area before, but both the Arakan Army (AA) and its rival, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), had been active nearby. It’s believed that ARSA members were hiding in the nearby mountain ranges,” a Jitchaung villager said.
The explosion happened in the foothills of the Mayu mountain ranges, roughly 2 miles north of Jitchaung Village.
“His foot was completely torn off. Villagers took him to Kyeinchaung Village (in Maungdaw Township) for emergency treatment, but he had to be moved elsewhere because they couldn’t treat him there. I don’t think any villagers would dare go back to the area where the blast happened,” a family member of Ko Shwe Hat told DMG.
On May 1, a Muslim man from Paungzar Village, Maungdaw Township, lost his leg after stepping on a landmine. Similarly, on May 10, a man in his 50s from Yay Nauk Ngar Thar Village in the same township lost a leg when a landmine exploded while he was foraging for wild vegetables in the nearby forest.
The recent spate of landmine explosions in Maungdaw has raised concerns among the local population.
“Many people in rural areas are poor and depend on the forest for their food. Now, life has become really difficult for everyone. Even without any active fighting, people are afraid to enter the forest because of landmines. For those already struggling to make a living, the landmines are making their situation even harder,” a woman from Maungdaw Township said.
In conflict-hit Arakan State, locals are struggling with soaring prices and a lack of jobs.
Without a steady income, poor rural communities have to turn to the forests, cutting firewood and foraging for bamboo shoots, to make a living.
Local civil society organizations (CSOs) said that while the AA is currently educating communities in its controlled areas about landmines and unexploded ordnance and putting up warning posters, practical measures like demining remain insufficient.
“The AA is doing its best to warn and educate people about landmines, but we don’t think it’s enough. We believe these efforts would be more effective if the AA could reach towns and villages where junta troops used to be stationed. It’s also important to make sure children are taught about the dangers of landmines,” said a member of an Arakan CSO.
According to data collected by DMG, five locals were killed and 32 others injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance in Maungdaw Township between April 2024 and September 24, 2025.
