Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, June 22.
In Arakan, civilians who rely on forests and mountains for their livelihood are risking their lives searching for food and survival amid landmines and the dangers of unexploded ordnance.
Since the beginning of the renewed battles in Arakan, the Myanmar junta has blocked transportation routes and restricted the flow of goods, causing Arakanese civilians to face numerous hardships.
In addition, Arakanese civilians say they are facing growing hardships due to the lack of job opportunities in the region and the soaring prices of essential goods. As a result, including internally displaced people, many civilians are risking their lives to search for food in areas where the junta once had bases or where intense clashes previously took place.
Local residents say that despite risking their lives during the rainy season to gather and sell seasonal vegetables for their livelihood, they live in constant fear and anxiety due to the dangers surrounding them.
“There are no jobs. After having an early breakfast, I go into the forest to gather seasonal vegetables. When I return to the village, I sell them to make a living. We are afraid of landmine dangers. The areas where we forage used to be battlegrounds between the AA and the junta, so we are worried. But since it’s for our survival, we have no choice but to go carefully,” a woman from Kyauktaw Township told Border News Agency.
Arakanese civilians, including those displaced by the war, say they rely on nearby forests and hills to gather vegetables, which they sell in nearby villages and markets to make a living.
Although they risk their lives depending on these forests for survival, locals say they still struggle to meet their basic needs due to the soaring prices of goods.
“Even though we risk our lives to forage, we only earn a little over 20,000 kyats a day. That’s not even enough to buy rice, oil, and salt. It’s even harder for larger families. As internally displaced persons, we’ve been struggling since the beginning. Sometimes we have to barter the vegetables we collect for rice. Even the money we get isn’t enough to buy basic food,” a displaced woman told Border News Agency.
There have been cases where people lost their lives due to landmines and unexploded ordnance while venturing into the forests and hills to search for food.
Despite these deadly risks, civilians, including internally displaced persons, continue to risk their lives amid landmine threats in order to survive, Arakanese residents say.
Arakanese civilians say it is necessary to regulate commodity prices across all areas controlled by the Arakan Army and to create job opportunities for the local population.
Although mine clearance efforts are reportedly being carried out in AA-controlled territories, civilians continue to face frequent threats from landmines and unexploded ordnance, with injuries and fatalities still occurring regularly, according to locals.
As a result, civilians – including those displaced by the conflict – are not only struggling with basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing but are also facing serious safety and security challenges, locals say.
They add that due to the ongoing threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance, they want the Arakan Army and the international community to step in and support mine clearance efforts in the region.
