Fighting in Kyaukphyu Township has intensified since late December 2025, prompting junta battalions near the island town to strengthen their defenses with barbed wire fences.

Fighting is reportedly intense as Myanmar's military regime launches offensives against areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) and allied resistance forces in Laymyethna Township, Ayeyarwady Region.

Myanmar's military regime is reportedly restricting patients from Sittwe and Kyaukphyu from carrying sufficient medicines back to Arakan State by air after receiving treatment in Yangon.

The Myanmar Navy has arrested 220 Muslims who travelled by boat from Maungdaw Township to Buthidaung and detained them at Sittwe Prison, according to local sources.

Clashes have intensified in recent days near the Point 666 hilltop camp in Padaung Township, Bago Region, which is under siege by an Arakan Army (AA)-led coalition. The military regime is reportedly suffering heavy losses.

Fighting for control of Kyaukphyu, which began in February 2024 near the Danyawadi naval base and in Simaw, Ukin and Kyattein villages in Kyaukphyu Township, has intensified since early 2026, according to local and military sources.

Sporadic clashes have been reported in northern Maungdaw, Arakan State, since the beginning of this year as Muslim armed groups, including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), have been moving in and out of Arakan State from Bangladesh, according to local sources.

The remains of three women from Ohn Taw Village in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, who went missing after being arrested by junta troops, have been found near the military regime's No. 32 Police Battalion, local residents said.

More than 50,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, are in urgent need of emergency assistance as fighting continues to escalate.

The Arakan Army (AA) has been attacking several military bases in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, in recent days, with the military regime responding fiercely, resulting in intense fighting on both sides, according to military sources.

Watermelon farmers in Arakan State are struggling to make ends meet due to low demand during the winter crop season, rising input costs and high transportation expenses.

In an era when daily news from Arakan is often fragmented and fast-changing, DMG's Weekly Highlights of Arakan brings clarity, depth, and context to the stories that matter most.

The family of a man killed in Gankyar Village, Pauktaw Township, Arakan State, has said it will continue to appeal a United League of Arakan (ULA) court decision, one year after the murder. The area is under the control of the Arakan Army.

The Arakan Army controls 14 townships in Arakan State, and while efforts are underway to revive local businesses, many continue to face severe challenges due to Myanmar junta roadblocks and ongoing security concerns.

Fighting has erupted near Sittwe after gunfire that briefly subsided during the election period resumed in recent days, according to local residents.

Residents of Manaung Township, which remains under Myanmar’s military control in Arakan State, are facing daily disruptions to their lives due to a blockade imposed by the Myanmar Navy.

Residents of Thandwe town in Arakan State have been sleeping in bomb shelters following two consecutive airstrikes by Myanmar's military regime that killed and injured civilians, according to local sources.

Nearly 900 civilians were killed or injured in Arakan State between January 1 and December 31, 2025, due to military conflict, according to a DMG tally.

In the junta-organized election, Dr Aye Maung and U Ba Shein-prominent politicians in Arakan State from the Arakan Front Party (AFP) and the Rakhine Nationalities Party (RNP)-were defeated by candidates from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).