In recent weeks Myanmar's military regime has been emptying villages around Sittwe, which is still controlled by the junta, under the pretext of security, and arresting residents en masse. DMG interviewed a villager who experienced the incident himself, and who escaped to a "liberated area" currently controlled by the AA. 

"Junta soldiers told us to enlist in early April. They threatened to beat and kill us if we didn't come for military training. They raided houses at night, and abducted some 30 young men."

Junta soldiers slaughtered dozens of people — 76, according to the latest accounting from the Arakkha Army (AA) —  ranging in age from teens to 70s at the village school, cemetery and the entrance to the village, according to witnesses.

DMG recently asked political analysts and residents in Arakan State for their views on Muslim-AA relations and the wider community dynamics amid complexities on the ground.

With the arrival of the monsoon imminent, internally displaced people are still struggling to secure shelter. DMG has recently interviewed them about their concerns and the challenges they are likely to face during the rainy season.

Political and military analyst U Pe Than recently spoke to DMG about the objectives of the AA and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), as well as discussing the current state of the military regime, and Muslim issues in Arakan State.

On World Press Freedom Day on May 3, DMG reached out to journalists who shared their views on the situation in Myanmar and the challenges facing press freedom.

Many residents have been leaving junta-controlled towns amid numerous dangers and travel restrictions. U Aung Kyaw Min, who recently fled his home in Sittwe along with his family, spoke to DMG about his escape.

DMG recently interviewed a Muslim man, identified here by the pseudonymous initials J.T., who fled the Kyauktalone displacement camp in Kyaukphyu Township to avoid conscription.

The revolution of the Arakan Army (AA), a movement centred on sovereignty and self-determination for Arakanese people, turned 15 years old on April 10. 

Some IDP families are going hungry due to food shortages. Some IDPs collect cash donations in villages to buy food.

We stayed in that house for eight days and we were starving. We had to hide beneath the house as the aircraft strafed. When children cried, we had to shut their mouths. 

The archaeological museum that sits on the palace mound in Mrauk-U was damaged when Myanmar’s military regime carried out artillery strikes following fighting with the Arakan Army (AA) on December 25.

DMG spoke to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State, discussing their challenges and the hardships triggered by the junta’s far-reaching blockade.

DMG recently spoke to a local man in Kyaukphyu, who asked for anonymity, discussing the socioeconomic hardships triggered by the junta’s far-reaching travel blockade.

DMG spoke to local residents and businessmen in Arakan State, discussing their needs and the hardships triggered by the junta’s far-reaching travel blockade.

Hundreds of residents are trapped in the town, with some being held hostage by the regime. The AA has been trying to rescue them, with more than 220 civilians extricated from the town on November 2l and 23.

Political analysts and observers recently shared their thoughts with DMG on the possible impacts of Operation 1027, which the Brotherhood Alliance says is aimed at ending military dictatorship in Myanmar.

Some of those accused were granted amnesty in other townships. My husband was not granted amnesty. He is innocent, and the regime arrested him for no reason. He needed to receive treatment at a hospital. I had to borrow money to pay for his medical costs, and I still can’t fully repay the debts.