Regime shells villages on Ponnagyun, Rathedaung border

By Admin 30 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom

30 September 2025, Rathedaung
 
Junta battalions in Sittwe have been carrying out daily attacks on villages in neighbouring Ponnagyun Township and Rathedaung, which are controlled by the Arakan Army, using heavy weapons and drones.
 
Sittwe-based junta battalions are attacking Kuntaung, Aidin, Sabahtar and Wahbo villages, which are located on the border of Ponnagyun and Sittwe townships.
 
“The military regime has been carrying out daily attacks on villages in and around Sittwe Township,” said a military source. “Junta battalions based in Sittwe have been firing heavy weapons and [deploying] drones every day. The Myanmar military has been carrying out a series of hostile actions this month.”
 
Thousands of residents from at least 10 villages in Ponnagyun Township were forced to flee the fighting in August as the Myanmar military bombarded them with artillery and drone attacks.
 
A resident of Kuntaung Village said locals cannot even farm because the Myanmar military is constantly firing artillery and deploying drones with strike capability.
 
“The Myanmar military is attacking our village and surrounding areas every day. Everyone has fled their villages and is unable to work on their farms. Some people have even had to sell their chickens and pigs at a reduced price,” said the Kuntaung villager.
 
Locals reported that the Myanmar military also fired heavy weapons at Kyetyoeseik Village on Musel Island in Rathedaung Township, on the border with Sittwe Township, on the afternoon of September 29.
 
“We heard at least 10 rounds of artillery fire. We heard artillery shells falling in and around Kyetyoeseik Village. We also heard that there were casualties and houses being set on fire, but we can’t say exactly what we heard,” said a resident of Rathedaung.
 
DMG continues to investigate reports of casualties and damages.  Residents of Panzinmaw, Nyaungpingyi, Katchaung, Kanpyin, and Minkanchaung Villages in Rathedaung Township are reportedly fleeing the fighting.
 
The military regime has reinforced its forces in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, and is exerting military pressure on some townships ahead of the election, and is said to be ready to launch any attack necessary to hold the election. 
 
“We know that the Myanmar military is firing heavy weapons at the border of Sittwe, Rathedaung, and Ponnagyun townships, and that it is also continuously reinforcing military forces at military bases in Sittwe,” said a young man in Arakan State. “The main thing is that the military regime is exerting as much military pressure as possible on the townships in Arakan State to hold elections.”

The military regime has announced that elections will be held in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung townships in Arakan State in December 2025, and is preparing to launch a fresh offensive in Taungup, Thandwe, Manaung and Gwa townships before the elections, military sources have said.
 
The border between Sittwe and Ponnagyun Township has been a battleground between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army since March 2024. There have been sporadic clashes between the two sides since January 2025, but currently only the former is carrying out regular attacks.