The Arakan Army intends for Muslims in Arakan State to participate more in administrative roles and the police work of the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army, said AA chief Major-General Twan Mrat Naing in a wide-ranging interview with Arakkha Media on August 15, as he reflected on the status of the ethnic armed group’s ongoing “revolution.” 

The Arakan Army (AA) says it has instructed its commanders on the ground to avoid military problems in Arakan State at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic and the rainy season are making life difficult for the people.

Civil society organisations in Mrauk-U town are arranging to provide food supplies for IDPs in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State, as the pandemic continues to complicate the already tenuous existences of the displaced.  

Residents of Paletwa Township, Chin State, said they are worried about shortages of food and medicines because the motorways and waterways from Paletwa to other townships are closed. 

Some Arakanese political parties say they are ready to cooperate with the Union Election Commission (UEC), which has announced its intention to scrutinise records related to political parties’ funds and assets.

Local youth development schools in Arakan State are facing difficulties due to the current political situation and the Covid-19 pandemic’s ongoing third wave. 

Muslim IDP camps in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, have been facing starvation for a long time due to a lack of food items supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP), camp officials told DMG.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which provides monthly rice rations and other food supplies to camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State, has suspended food deliveries indefinitely since August 11. 

Two cottage hospitals in Ramree Township’s Saku and Lay Taung towns currently do not have doctors, posing difficulties for residents seeking medical treatment, locals said.

Agricultural loans are being disbursed to farmers in Arakan State, according to the Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank (MADB) in Arakan State.

The ANP Youth Wing has urged the Arakan National Party (ANP) to work hard to establish clear principles for the overthrow of Myanmar’s dictatorship, and for achieving national equality and self-determination. 

Kaman people in Myanmar are facing livelihood challenges during the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to members of the predominantly Muslim ethnic group. 

An oxygen plant built by a businessman in the Arakan State capital Sittwe is currently undergoing testing and will reportedly be able to start producing oxygen in the coming days.

Widely used medicines in Arakan State remain in short supply and are being sold on a quota basis amid the ongoing third wave of Covid-19, according to pharmaceutical companies. 

For millions of people the extended public holiday decreed by Myanmar’s military regime as a Covid-19 preventive measure has meant time off work, but for those behind bars and facing trial, the long break has had the effect of prolonging their legal limbo as court hearings have also been put on pause. 

Farmers in Arakan State are reportedly having difficulty replanting paddy fields damaged by floodwaters this year.

Social welfare associations in Arakan State that are providing help to Covid-19 patients and funeral services for fatalities of the virus are in need of hazmat aka PPE suits. 

The Arakan National Party (ANP) sent an open letter to the Arakan State government on August 10 urging the Tatmadaw not to carry out security checks on people affected by the food crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Wet Hla camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township is in dire need of food, the manager of the camp said.