Ann Town Faces Rice Shortage Amid Escalating Fighting

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)