Civilians in Sittwe, which is still under the control of the Myanmar junta, are reportedly trapped inside the city and unable to flee from the conflict.
Residents of Sittwe say that the junta has forcibly confined civilians inside the city, and tens of thousands of people remain there.
Those civilians are reportedly facing starvation due to skyrocketing commodity prices, lack of jobs, and the absence of humanitarian assistance.
The Myanmar junta has sealed off Sittwe city because the State Government Office and the Regional Command Headquarters are based there, and government officials are also residing in the city.
Only air travel routes between Sittwe and Yangon remain open, while all land and water routes have been strictly blocked.
Because of this, some civilians had previously managed to escape to areas under the control of the Arakan Army, but now residents of Sittwe say it is completely impossible to get out of the city.
“There isn’t even a single way out anymore. Everywhere is filled with landmines, junta soldiers (referred to as ‘dogs’), and members of the ALP (Arakan Liberation Party forces),” a resident from Sittwe told Border News Agency.
The junta forces are not only preventing the civilians inside Sittwe from leaving the city but have also forcibly brought people from all the surrounding villages into Sittwe. Meanwhile, junta soldiers have set up military camps and are stationed in those villages.
Residents of Sittwe say that around 30,000 people, who were forcibly brought from surrounding villages into the city against their will, are now trapped and taking refuge in monasteries across Sittwe.
In Sittwe, where the junta forces still maintain full control, many new military camps and checkpoints have been set up. Residents say that people are not allowed to cross the city’s main checkpoints, including the bridge leading toward the rural areas.
“You can’t even step a little outside the city. You’re not even allowed to approach the Sat Yoe Kya Bridge,” a local man from Sittwe told Border News Agency.
Additionally, displaced civilians say that junta soldiers also conduct inspections of those taking refuge in monasteries at least once a month.
“They come in groups by car and conduct aggressive, rough inspections,” a displaced woman from Sittwe told Border News Agency.
The Arakan Army (AA) has taken positions in Wabo Island and villages near the border between Sittwe and Ponnakyun townships, about five miles from Sittwe city. Residents say that while ground clashes occur from time to time, exchanges of heavy artillery fire between the two sides happen almost daily.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Arakan Army (AA), General Twan Mrat Naing, had also informed civilians in his speech on the occasion of the AA’s 15th founding anniversary (April 10, 2024), urging people in Sittwe to move toward liberated areas as the AA was launching a campaign to reclaim territory.
However, residents of Sittwe say that civilians from the surrounding villages and impoverished people inside the city have been unable to flee in time due to financial difficulties.
“You have to pay over 1000,000 kyats for a single motorboat trip through brokers, and we simply can’t afford it. There are no jobs, and we don’t even have enough food. That’s why we can’t flee. As for those who can afford it but don’t flee, I don’t know if they don’t believe the fighting will reach here or for some other reason. But for us, we want to escape we just can’t because we have no money,” a man from Sittwe told Border News Agency.
The Myanmar junta has not only trapped civilians inside Sittwe a city that could face sudden attacks at any time — but has also barred government staff from leaving the city or even traveling to the central Myanmar by air, according to the staff.
Activists point out that the junta’s act of confining civilians and government employees inside the city is intended to use them as human shields in the event of fighting, which constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime.
