It has been 40 days sincethe military council implemented the four-cuts strategy and blocked the traderoutes in Rakhine State. This has caused a significant surge in commodityprices, placing numerous families at risk of famine in certain localities.

"Many people areexperiencing hunger. Some cannot afford rice, but remain silent due to socialshame. For those who manage to have one meal silently skip the other one. Thecondition is particularly dire, especially in the outskirts of cities. In those areas many families are surviving without regular meals," said awoman from Sittwe township.

Since the renewal of gun fightingon 13 November, the roads and waterways have been blocked. Movement of goodsbetween towns has been restricted causing significant hardship to the farmers,fishermen, boat passengers, motorists, auto-rickshaw drivers, etc.

"There is very little traffic these days and themilitary council has been  apprehending pedestrians and discouragingpeople from venturing out. Our snack shops are  experiencing a decline insales, affecting the livelihoods of concerned families. Now, we are compelledto boil and consume broken rice for survival," said another local womanfrom Sittwe.

"Kyauk Phyu townshipresidents are currently facing hardships, where the scarcity of rice emerges asa serious concern. The military's closure of roads has resulted in disruptingthe flow of goods. Unjustified price increases worsened the situation making itdifficult for manual labourers to afford two meals a day," said a localfrom Kyauk Phyu.

Sayar U Aung Khin, a Muslim adultand translator from Sittwe, posted on his social media page with the title"A true story that leaves me feeling suffocated... To my Rakhine brothersand sisters...."

"I want to share with all my friends that I amproviding free English speaking and translation training at a monastery inSittwe. The charity monastery also offers accommodation and meals. I amdelighted as a grassroots educator as the students show interest in learning.Now the weather is turning cold in Sittwe. I observed a person was sellingitems with two children (a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl). I inquiredabout their financial situation and learned that the mother died due to pneumoniawhile giving birth to the girl,” he wrote.

"I further inquired andthen the man said that if he can sell the freezies he can arrange thebreakfast. They take dinner after the evening shopping. When he cannot arrangethe breakfast, he waits for more buyers to make it possible. I offer to feedthem after the monks' alms. I ask him to wait and  provide them with theremaining alms from the monastery. I am aware that numerous people aresurviving without enough food items. I want to share with my Rakhine brothersand sisters that I am getting emotional while writing this post," headded.

Political analyst U Pe Thansaid to Narinjara News that the military council's implementation of thefour-cuts strategy and blocking routes in Rakhine State is a very detrimentalact and it  should be completely abolished.

"The road connectivityin  Rakhine State remains blocked for many days. So the commodity priceshave gone up significantly. If the people continue suffering, the militarycouncil may have the intention to provoke a conflict between the ULA/AA andcommon people,” he added.

He  urged the Internationalorganizations, Rakhine socialorganizations and those with the financial outfits to gather the lists ofindividuals genuinely in need of support in every town and village across theState.