Myanmar’s military regime is reportedly extorting money from detained Muslims in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, in exchange for their release, according to local Muslim sources.

An Arakanese man who was stabbed in Mae Sot, Thailand, is in urgent need of financial support for his medical treatment as his family struggles to cover mounting expenses, according to relatives and local aid organizations.

February 1 marks five years since the military coup in Myanmar. The armed forces seized power by overthrowing the National League for Democracy, which won the 2020 general election, citing alleged widespread electoral fraud.

Ten fishermen from Pauktaw Township in Arakan State who were detained by the Myanmar Navy on January 25 were released on January 27 after being forced to pay one million kyats each, local residents said.

Residents from nearly 10 coastal villages in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, have been forced to flee their homes since early January due to the Myanmar military regime’s increased use of reconnaissance drones and aerial attacks.

The Arakan Army has issued a security warning to residents in southern Maungdaw Township following recent sightings of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army activity in the Mayu Mountains.

Myanmar’s military regime has launched airstrikes after the Arakan Army successfully captured the strategic Point 666 hilltop camp in Padaung Township of Bago Region on January 28, according to military sources.

Local residents in Ponnagyun, Pauktaw and Rathedaung townships, which border the state capital Sittwe, have been forced to flee as the Myanmar military regime has carried out sustained artillery attacks and airstrikes since January 25.

Small scale brickmaking operations in northern Arakan State are struggling to find buyers despite resuming production as the local security situation stabilizes under Arakan Army control, according to industry sources.

The Arakan Army is currently reconstructing bridges, roads and residential buildings damaged during the conflict. It is also carrying out road expansion projects and constructing new infrastructure to improve transportation for local residents.

The Arakan Army has recently intensified maritime security operations along the border between Arakan State and Bangladesh, according to sources close to the ethnic armed group.

Skin diseases are increasingly affecting displaced people and local residents living in displacement camps and villages in Rathedaung Township, Arakan State, according to aid workers and local residents.

Amid the economic downturn following Myanmar’s military coup, a growing number of people are turning to the Thai lottery as they struggle to make ends meet amid armed conflict and financial hardship.

Family members are calling on the United League of Arakan (ULA) to take decisive legal action against an abbot who allegedly detained and repeatedly raped two underage girls on Marazai Island, an area under the control of the Arakan Army (AA) in Kyaukphyu Township.

Salt farming, once a major industry in Arakan State, is facing a sharp decline due to market instability, weak demand and soaring production costs, according to local salt farmers.

Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes and several villages have been set ablaze as the Myanmar military regime carries out large scale offensive operations in Mindon Township of Magway Region, according to local residents and ground sources.

Social organizations in Arakan State are calling for increased mental and physical rehabilitation, as well as the creation of safe spaces, for children affected by ongoing military conflict.

The regime is increasingly using paramotors and gyrocopters in aerial operations, leading to rising civilian casualties, according to a report released by Fortify Rights.

Villagers near Phetkhwetseik Village in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township have fled their homes after the regime carried out two airstrikes on the same location within a single day.