Nippon Foundation plans to provide food aid for Arakanese IDPs in Yangon

Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 1 September 2024

Nippon Foundation is planning to provide food aid to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Arakan State who are taking shelter in the Yangon region due to the fighting in their places. Arakan National Network (ANN) is currently compiling a list of those individuals from six townships.

ANN chairman Ko Tin Htoo Aung informed  Narinjara News that they are working with the Nippon Foundation in Yangon to provide rice and edible oil items to Arakanese IDPs who are facing difficulties to survive in the former capital of Myanmar.

“Those who have fled the conflict in rural areas and now facing a livelihood crisis will be given a priority. We will focus on people in the outskirts of Yangon, rather than those in the downtown area,” added the chairman.

Now the ANN is compiling a list of poor and unemployed Arakanese IDPs who came to Yangon since the third week of August this year.

They are now starting to gather the names of beneficiaries from Hmawbi, Shwe Pyi Thar, East Dagon, South Dagon, North Dagon and North Okkalapa townships.

Ko Tin Htoo Aung revealed that  nearly 1,500 impoverished IDPs from the Arakan region are being counted.

“More IDPs are arriving from Arakan now. Initially, they came from northern Arakan, but in the last few weeks many from southern Arakanese townships like Taungup, Thandwe, Ngapali and Gwa have also arrived in Yangon. In addition to the Nippon Foundation, we are also working with other groups to support the needy Arakanese nationals,” he added.

In the first batch, they will support around 1,500 IDPs from six Arakanese townships. The timing of donations will depend on the  donor organization.

Nippon Foundation, based in Japan, donated a large volume of rice bags to IDPs in Arakan State in 2023.

Its chairman Mr Sasakawa played a key role in mediating between the Arakan Army (AA) and the junta forces to halt the fighting in Arakan between 2018 and 2022.

An displaced Arakanese woman from Shwe Pyi Thar told Narinjara News that she would be  grateful to Nippon Foundation for the support as they are facing a severe livelihood crisis.

“Due to the fighting, we  had to leave our places urgently and thus we lost all our belongings. We are  now living in rented houses or staying with their relatives. We have no job and the prices of essential commodities are going up every day,” added the lady.

Since the gun fighting resumed in Arakan State in November 2023, local residents started fleeing  to safer townships.

As the  fighting approached  Thandwe and Gwa townships, many residents fled to Yangon and Ayeyarwady localities.

The Arakanese IDPs in Yangon are struggling to survive due to high rents, rising food costs, poor living conditions and lack of employment opportunities.

Photograph: Displaced people affected by the fighting between Myanmar military and Arakan Army  in Pauktaw township of  Arakan State. (Photo by VOA, November 19, 2023)