Junta administration officials are extorting money from internally displaced people (IDPs) from Arakan State taking refuge in Ngathainggyaung Township, Ayeyarwady Region, according to displaced civilians.

The United League of Arakan/Arakkha Army (ULA/AA) issued a statement on December 29 saying it welcomes and will cooperate with foreign investment projects in Arakan State.

The Arakkha Army (AA) said in a statement on December 29 that it is always ready to resolve conflict through political rather than military means, on the same day that the ethnic armed group claimed to have won control of its 14th township in Arakan State, out of 17 total in the state.

The Arakkha Army (AA) seized control of all military camps in Gwa, the southernmost town of Arakan State, on December 29, said U Khaing Thukha, spokesperson for the ethnic armed group.

As of August 18, the AA partially controlled nine Chinese projects in Arakan State. Following the complete capture of Thandwe and Ann townships, the group took full control of wind power projects in those areas. The AA also partially controls other projects and trade routes.

The report also stated that at least 506 junta soldiers were injured and at least 1,189 were killed in clashes last month. On the resistance side, at least 69 were injured and 45 were killed.

With military tensions running high in Sittwe Township of late, many residents are trying to get out, leading to an increased demand for flight tickets to Yangon.

Akha people have enjoyed socio-economic development as they followed the path paved by the government, said Min Aung Hlaing as he again attempted to convince EAOs to join peace talks.

The Arakkha Army (AA) clashed with the Myanmar military after the ethnic armed group fired mortar shells into a junta security checkpoint near Kyarmathauk Village in Arakan State's Sittwe Township on Friday morning.

Of the more than 11,000 displaced people in Kyaukphyu Township, about 6,000 are living in rural areas where transportation is difficult, giving rise to multiple crises.

Daw Mya Thein Wai, 50, was killed by shrapnel while she was at her home when an artillery shell fired by a junta battalion in Sittwe fell and exploded in the village on Friday night.

The ethnic armed group banned the import of all foreign and domestic alcoholic drinks into Arakan State on September 19, giving shops three more months to sell off their stocks.

The regime is also building new bases near Nat Yay Kan and Kan Myint Kan bases along the Ann-Padan road.

The Myanmar Navy vessels were deployed in the last week of December, and currently, at least ten warships surround Sittwe.

In a video released by the AA on Thursday, Brigadier-General Kyaw Kyaw Than, the chief of staff of the military’s Western Command, who is in AA custody, urged officers and soldiers in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung towns to surrender to the ethnic armed group, citing difficulties with sending reinforcements to Arakan State due to its geographical position.

A source close to the AA said that despite the regime’s fierce resistance, including army, navy and aerial support, the AA’s heavy offensive has allowed it to penetrate LIB No. 562 territory.

The Arakkha Army (AA) said on December 26 that one person was killed and several others were injured when a passenger bus carrying 16 people was fired upon by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.

Thousands of migrant workers, including Arakan State residents, are going hungry and struggling to make ends meet in Muse, a town on the Myanmar-China border in northern Shan State.

IDPs from Jeittaw, Ngapali, Myapyin, Zeephyugon and Lintha villages moved to Thandwe Town after the Arakkha Army (AA) seized control of the district-level town in late June.