YANGON, Myanmar – Internally displaced people in Rakhine state have called for the removal of Myanmar military stations near their villages in order that they could get back to their villages after the clashes between Arakan Army and the military have stopped.
“We do not dare go back to my village even though there is no fighting because of Myanmar military stations near my Saukkhat village,” said a woman from the IDP camp.
According to Rakhine ethnic committee, there are 148 IDP camps with a total population of 190,000 in five townships in Rakhine state.
There had been fierce fighting between the Arakan Army and Myanmar military in Rakhine state since 2018, and people fled their villages to the IDP camps while seeing more deaths of non-combatants. A year earlier, in 2017, others from the area fled similar troubles to neighboring Bangladesh as well. The Arakan Army was formed for a purpose of political self-determination 10 years ago in Kachin state.
By Htay Win