The United League of Arakan (ULA) has reported that over 700 civilians have been killed and more than 1,500 injured in Rakhine State within the past year due to Myanmar’s junta and its allied forces.  

The ULA’s armed wing, the Arakan Army, launched an offensive against the military regime in November 2023.They targeting northern Rakhine and Paletwa Township in southern Chin State. Since then, the Arakan Army has gained control of 11 out of 17 townships in Rakhine and Paletwa Township, while continuing its campaign to take key strategic locations, including Ann, Taungup, Maungdaw, and Gwa. Ann Township is of particular significance as it houses the military command centers for Rakhine State.  

Junta forces have responded with widespread violence, including airstrikes, artillery attacks, arbitrary arrests, and killings. A report released by the ULA’s Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office on Monday detailed the humanitarian toll, revealing that 735 civilians among them 517 men and 218 women were killed over the past year. Among the dead were 132 children under the age of 18.  

The report highlighted the danger faced by civilians in liberated areas who remain vulnerable to indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling. According to the findings, 785 civilian casualties resulted from air and drone strikes, while 679 were attributed to artillery attacks.  

Several tragic incidents were cited in the report, including the deaths of nine villagers in Thandwe Township from junta shelling in May, despite no fighting in the area. Another incident in February saw 12 civilians killed and nearly 80 injured when artillery from a naval base in Sittwe struck a local market.  

Sittwe Township, under junta control, recorded the highest civilian death toll at 108, followed by Buthidaung with 104 and Maungdaw with 85. The report also stated that junta forces and allied groups detained 749 civilians, while many in junta-controlled areas such as Sittwe and Kyaukphyu face constant threats of arrest and extrajudicial killings.  

Displacement and destruction have further exacerbated the crisis, with more than 550,000 people forced to flee their homes. Over 6,400 houses, 12 hospitals and clinics, 21 markets, and at least five offices belonging to international organizations have been destroyed.  

The displaced population urgently requires food, shelter, and medical care. However, junta authorities have reportedly blocked residents from relocating to safer areas, further compounding the dire humanitarian situation
 

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