Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, July 14
Displaced people in Arakan say they are in urgent need of assistance for food, shelter, and basic necessities during the monsoon season.
They report facing serious challenges such as leaking shelters, lack of proper bedding, and flooding due to heavy rains.
As a result, they say they are in need of tarpaulins, sleeping mats, and other forms of aid to cope with the situation.
“As a war refugee, I feel completely drained. We barely have enough to eat or drink. The children are malnourished, and our health is deteriorating. Sometimes, I even have thoughts of ending my own life. It’s incredibly difficult,” said a displaced person from Ponnakyun Township, speaking to Border News Agency.
These displaced people say they are struggling more and more with food and basic needs because they lack jobs and have no regular source of income.
Because of this, some displaced people have resorted to working at ports loading and unloading goods. However, they say they earn only about 10,000 kyats a day, which is barely enough to get by.
In addition, they also forage for seasonal vegetables in the nearby forests and hills. But they say they fear landmines, unexploded ordnance, and unfamiliar terrain, which pose serious dangers to their lives.
“There’s no work during the rainy season. I unload goods at the docks when I can. Sometimes, I go into nearby forests and hills to collect firewood or forage for vegetables and sell what I find. But this isn’t my native area, so things are much harder here. The 5,000 to 10,000 kyats I earn a day all go toward food and medicine,” said a displaced person from the War Taung camp, speaking to Border News Agency.
The displaced people say they are facing increasing hardships in meeting their basic needs because they have not received any international humanitarian assistance.
According to the Humanitarian and Development Cooperation Office (HDCO), there are currently over 600,000 internally displaced persons in areas controlled by the Arakan Army.
The displaced people say they are in urgent need of international humanitarian aid, as well as job opportunities that would allow them to sustain their livelihoods.
