Myanmar’s conflict with the Arakan Army in Rakhine state has caused severe food shortages Chin state, where residents of some 200 villages are trapped by roadblocks and mandatory coronavirus lockdowns, RFA reported quoting a humanitarian worker.

As many as 60,000 residents of remote villages of Paletwa township are cut off from the closest food markets in Paletwa town — blocked by the two armies or locked down by local authorities amid a resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mai Nan Wai, spokesperson for the Relief and Rehabilitation Committee for Chin IDPs (RRCCI).

The humanitarian group estimates that 26,000 to 60,000 displaced Chin civilians are now trapped in their villages, while more than 18,000 have left their homes and sought shelter in cities during the armed conflict.