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.

Fierce fighting has erupted between the military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) at three locations near the Regional Operations Command (ROC) in Sittwe, the junta’s last remaining military headquarters in Arakan State.

The military junta has extended martial law for another 90 days in 55 townships across Myanmar where it has lost territorial control, including 15 townships controlled by the Arakan Army (AA).

Financial hardship, a shortage of medical personnel and long distances to hospitals continue to limit access to healthcare in Arakan State, resulting in preventable deaths, including among women giving birth.

Taungup Township in Arakan State is facing severe rice shortages, affecting the livelihoods of local residents and internally displaced people (IDPs), according to locals and relief workers.

A military junta airstrike on the upper Laymyo River area in Paletwa Township, Chin State, has killed at least seven people and injured many others, according to local sources.

Arakanese political parties, the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and junta-appointed Arakanese ministers attended the ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), held in Nay Pyi Taw on October 11 and 12.

Although the total number of armed clashes across Myanmar has declined compared with previous years, military operations and conflict zones are expanding significantly, according to an analytical report by BNI - Myanmar Peace Monitor.

Continued military airstrikes across Arakan State have forced schools to close in Ponnagyun, Werathani and Kyauktaw townships, disrupting local children’s education, community sources reported.

The family of a 15-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted in Yinyekan Village, Werathani Township, an area under Arakan Army control in Arakan State, is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of the suspect, who remains at large.