Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 24 October 2024
Due to ongoing warfare that has hampered
transit lines, residents of Ann Town, which is situated in the foothills of the
Arakan Mountains, are facing a serious scarcity of rice.
A pyi of rice used to cost between 3,000 and
3,500 kyats, but now days it costs about 7,000 kyats. Residents are having
trouble finding rice in spite of these growing prices.
Those who have stayed in Ann Town and the
internally displaced people who were rounded up by junta soldiers from
neighboring communities are the most severely affected.
Shops in Ann have been demanding exorbitant
rates for their goods ever since the route was closed. Even the rice stores are
currently out of rice. A female Ann Town resident stated, "We had to share
what little rice we had with people who went without yesterday."
The battle has made it impossible to bring rice
into Ann Town from other places, and the junta forces are preventing locals
from leaving the town. They might therefore be in danger of starvation in the
days ahead.
In the midst of fierce combat in Ann Township,
the Arakan Army (AA) closed the Ann-Padan-Minbu road on October 16. Residents
said that the high cost of basic supplies, such as rice, has resulted in acute
shortages.
“Since we intended to travel to Minbu, we did
not purchase a lot of rice. This kind of road closure surprised me. In the
following three to four days, the rice we purchased will be consumed. Famine is
coming," she continued.
Because of the continuous warfare, two-thirds
of Ann Town's population has already left.
According to locals, tens of thousands of
people are currently stranded in the town and are having severe difficulties
making a living. This includes those who stayed, those who were already in the
town but were moved by junta troops, and internally displaced persons from
neighboring communities who arrived as a result of the junta's evictions.
In Ann Town, which is still under junta rule, a
man who lives there told Narinjara News that the junta has not helped locals or
displaced people and has forbidden them from constructing bomb shelters.
“We heard airstrikes close to the airport
today. They have constructed many trenches inside and outside the military
base, but they would not allow us to dig bomb shelters," he claimed.
The Arakan Army (AA) is currently attacking the junta's
military battalions, notably the Ann-based Western Command, one after the other.
The Arakan Army (AA) has taken control of the
374th artillery battalion, the medical corps, the central ordnance depot (COD),
and the military intelligence unit (SaYaPha) in Ann Town, according to local
military sources. The remaining battalions, including the Western Command, are
being aggressively attacked. (Photo: courtesy)