A series of cultural exchange forums aimed at promoting social harmony among diverse ethnic communities are being held across territories controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State.

Political observers and local residents are urging civilians in areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) to remain on high alert as clashes between the Myanmar military regime and the Arakanese ethnic armed group intensify near the state capital of Sittwe.

Fuel merchants are urging the United League of Arakan (ULA), the administrative body governing Arakan State, to implement market stabilization measures and contingency plans to prevent potential fuel shortages as global markets react to the escalating crisis in Iran.

Myanmar’s military regime carried out heavy airstrikes on Pauktaw Township, located about 16 nautical miles east of Sittwe in Arakan State, with military sources reporting at least 33 aerial attacks between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on March 6.

Fears are mounting among residents in Sittwe after heavy artillery shells struck the General Hospital in the state capital controlled by the junta early Saturday morning.

Fisherfolk along the Arakan coast in areas under Arakan Army (AA) control report that their livelihoods are being severely disrupted by persistent heavy artillery fire from Myanmar’s military regime.

Myanmar’s military regime has launched intense airstrikes in Ngaphe Township on the Magway–Arakan border after the Arakan Army (AA) and its allied forces captured a key forward outpost of the Nat Yay Kan tactical hilltop base, according to military sources.

Only two political prisoners from jails in Arakan State were released under the military regime’s latest amnesty to mark Peasants’ Day, according to former political prisoners and rights groups.

Fuel prices have nearly tripled in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State still held by Myanmar’s military regime, forcing several local filling stations to shut down, according to residents.

Fuel prices are surging in Arakan Army (AA) controlled areas of Arakan State as residents engage in panic buying following global market fluctuations triggered by the ongoing Iran crisis, local fuel retailers report.

Residents in Arakan State say they are living in constant fear as Myanmar’s military regime intensifies its aerial bombardments, resulting in mass civilian casualties and a growing sense of insecurity.

Amid escalating clashes in Sittwe, more than 400 junta personnel, police officers and their family members have reportedly evacuated to mainland Myanmar via waterway.

More than 200 civilians were killed or injured by Muslim armed groups in Arakan State between November 2023 and January 2026, according to a report by the Humanitarian and Development Cooperation Office (HDCO).

Arakanese migrants working in the Middle East say they are on high alert as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran escalates and affects neighboring countries.

Civilians in Arakan State who have been left with physical, auditory, and visual impairments due to the military regime’s airstrikes are struggling to survive amid extreme hardships and limited assistance.

Myanmar’s military regime is reportedly mobilizing hundreds of troops in an offensive to retake Mawchi, a strategic mining town in Kayah State currently under the control of revolutionary forces, according to local military sources.

Revolutionary forces have launched heavy artillery attacks on the military junta’s No. 16 Defence Industry weapons factory in Padaung Township, Bago Region, military sources reported.

In Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State under the control of the Myanmar military regime, extreme poverty and widespread unemployment have forced some residents to dismantle abandoned houses and sell bricks and stones to feed their families.

The Arakan Army (AA) has launched a fresh offensive against the junta’s Shwe Mingan naval station and several military outposts near Zawmadat Village, north of Sittwe, according to local residents and military sources.