The internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Taunggoke Township, which is currently under attack by the Arakan Army (AA) as part of their offensive to take full control, are reportedly in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to aid workers and the IDPs themselves.
Among the IDPs are children, pregnant women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those who have sustained injuries, according to aid workers and the displaced individuals themselves.
The IDPs are in urgent need of rice as their primary necessity, along with basic food supplies, medicine, warm clothing, blankets, and mosquito nets, according to aid workers and the displaced individuals.
“The most urgent need is rice. Food is the primary necessity right now. There are even days when we don’t get to eat. Some are giving the little rice they have to the children. We also don’t have any warm clothing or blankets,” an IDP from Taunggoke Township told Border News Agency.
Most of the neighborhoods in Taunggoke town are now under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), leaving very few civilians trapped in the town, according to aid workers and displaced individuals.
The Brahmaso Foundation, led by Ven U Punya from Taunggoke town, is providing assistance to the IDPs through donations. However, due to the large number of displaced individuals, international humanitarian aid is urgently needed, according to those involved in relief efforts.
Therefore, aid workers and displaced individuals are calling on international humanitarian organizations, civil society groups, and both domestic and international donors to contribute and provide assistance.
“Food is the most critical need. The IDPs are scattered in various places, and the large number of people makes it impossible to sustain their food needs. We want international assistance. There are even days when some go without meals,” a relief worker assisting IDPs in Taunggoke Township told Border News Agency.
In their effort to take full control of Taunggoke Township, the Arakan Army (AA) is launching close offensives against the No. 5 Military Operation Command Headquarters, as well as the No. 346 and No. 544 Light Infantry Battalions, according to residents of Taunggoke town.
Since the start of the decisive war initiated, the Myanmar junta has blocked all land and waterways in the Arakan region. Additionally, international humanitarian organizations have faced restrictions imposed by the junta on travel and providing aid to displaced persons and affected areas.
Within one year of the decisive war in Arakan, over 550,000 people from the region have been displaced, according to a statement issued on November 18 by the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO) of the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government.
