Junta invasion of Rakhine villages prompts exit of 1,000 frightened villagers

13 August 2022
Junta invasion of Rakhine villages prompts exit of 1,000 frightened villagers

According to local people about 100 troops of the Military Council entered the villages of Taungpauk and Phayapaung in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State at 8:00 a.m. on 10 August and more than 1,000 residents fled in fear.  

The Taungpauk and Phayapaung villages saw houses burnt down during earlier fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and Military Council troops.

A resident of Taungpauk village said junta troops entered Taungpauk village first and then headed to the Phayapaung village. The two villages are quite close and the residents are afraid, so they fled to other villages for their safety, principally Kyauktaw Township.

"More than 1,000 villagers from two villages fled from the conflict. The junta troops have not yet arrested people in the villages," said a Taungpauk villager.

Currently, there are more than 60,000 IDPs who cannot return to their homes in Rakhine State, many due to earlier conflicts, and the numbers of IDPs are increasing as the fighting picks up.

At present, junta troops and the AA are frequently fighting in the locality of some villages in Maungdaw Township and Paletwa Township, and the military situation is tense.