Border News Agency
Sittwe, August 7.
Residents say that in Sittwe, a city still under control of the Myanmar junta, about two-thirds of civilians are facing serious difficulties with food and basic necessities.
Due to being under lockdown, civilians in Sittwe are experiencing a severe lack of job opportunities and have no source of income.
As a result, many civilians are surviving on boiled rice instead of regular meals and even that is in such short supply that some can no longer have it properly, forcing them to endure extreme hunger, according to locals in Sittwe.
“Everyone in the town is suffering. People are facing hardships due to the lack of food. Those who used to eat proper meals are now surviving on boiled rice. And those who were already relying on boiled rice now have nothing to eat at all,” said a resident of Sittwe to Border News Agency.
Since the beginning of the final phase of the Arakan war, the Myanmar junta has blocked all transportation routes and have effectively trapped civilians, using them as human shields.
Although cargo ships from Yangon are arriving in Sittwe with supplies, residents say that these goods are only for the junta forces and do not reach the civilian population.
“In this situation where there is no food, only those close to the military are easily getting food. The rest are already starving. The current situation in Sittwe is a severe shortage of food and medicine,” a resident of Sittwe told Border News Agency.
Residents say that two-thirds of those trapped in Sittwe and used as human shields are now facing hunger and are enduring the most difficult conditions just to survive.
Some who can no longer bear the impact of extreme hunger have reportedly taken their own lives, and there have even been cases of entire families committing suicide, according to locals in Sittwe.
The Myanmar junta has also been blocking international humanitarian aid, which has worsened the living conditions of civilians. As a result, people are increasingly facing hardships in securing basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter, with many reportedly experiencing severe hunger.
