Fierce clashes between the military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) are continuing across Sittwe Township, as junta forces reportedly carry out aerial bombing raids inside the city.

Panic has gripped Sittwe after an aircraft reportedly dropped bombs on the city at around 8:00 a.m. on October 23, causing civilian casualties and prompting residents near the blast sites to seek refuge elsewhere.

At least six residents were killed and 37 others injured when a Y-12 aircraft reportedly dropped bombs on downtown Sittwe, which is under junta control, on the morning of October 23, according to local sources.

Fierce clashes continued for a second consecutive day on Ngapyi Island in Werathani Township near Sittwe on October 22, with remnants of a military junta amphibious assault force still trapped on the island, according to local sources.

The military junta has allowed detained former State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to speak with her son, Kim Aris, by telephone for the first time in more than five years, according to statements from Aris and reports by international media.

A military junta column of around 500 troops advancing toward Kyindwe Town in Kanpetlet Township, Chin State, has suffered heavy casualties in ambushes by resistance forces, according to military sources.

The military junta has replaced its Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister amid escalating fighting near Sittwe, according to an announcement dated October 22.

Two women were injured when a military junta Y-12 aircraft dropped more than 10 bombs on residential areas in Anjanapura Township late on October 21, according to local residents.

Widespread job losses and declining incomes in Thandwe and Gwa townships in Arakan State are leaving many residents unable to afford basic food supplies and essential medical care, according to local sources.

People with disabilities in western Myanmar's Arakan (Rakhine) State face worsening humanitarian conditions as armed conflict, landmines, airstrikes and restrictions on aid deliveries threaten their safety and access to essential services, according to a new report by the Center for Arakan Studies (CAS).

Two days of military junta airstrikes near Pi Chaungzone area and Lonetu Village along the upper Laymyo River in Paletwa Township, Chin State, killed nine civilians and injured five others, according to a statement released on October 20 by the Chin People’s Union/Chin People’s Army (CPU/CPA).

Junta aerial attacks targeting urban wards and nearby villages in Werathani Township late on October 20 killed four civilians and injured four others, including a volunteer with the Pauktaw Social Assistance Association, according to local residents.

Two soldiers forcibly conscripted by the military junta and deployed to the Kyaukphyu frontline have defected to the Arakan Army (AA), citing physical abuse and harsh treatment by their superiors.

Some staff members of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) based in Sittwe, Arakan State, are relocating to Yangon as armed conflict intensifies around the state capital.

The annual Shanti Mata festival, a Hindu religious observance, was held on a smaller scale in areas controlled by the Arakan Army in Arakan State this year amid fears of military junta airstrikes.

The military junta launched waves of heavy airstrikes near the U Sun Mountain range west of Apaukwa Village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, on the morning of October 20.

Eighteen journalists remained in detention across Myanmar as of September 30, including 17 held by the military regime and one by an unidentified armed group, according to Athan, a Myanmar-based freedom of expression advocacy organisation.

The military junta carried out an airstrike on Kyeintali Town in Gwa Township, Arakan State, dropping two bombs and destroying several residential homes.

Wild elephants have destroyed extensive areas of farmland in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, leaving local farmers facing severe livelihood hardships.