Fierce clashes between Myanmar’s military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) are escalating in western Rakhine state, where strategic projects backed by China are under threat and leading to significant humanitarian crises. A local aid worker reported on Wednesday that approximately 4,000 individuals have been displaced due to the ongoing violence surrounding the planned site of a strategically significant China-backed port.
The region of Rakhine has become a focal point in Myanmar’s complex civil war, which has seen various ethnic minority rebels and pro-democracy forces rise against the military government that assumed control after a coup in 2021. The hostilities intensified in recent weeks around Kyaukphyu, a town earmarked for substantial Chinese investment estimated to be around $9 billion, intended for the construction of a deep-water port.
“Due to recent clashes, people from 10 villages surrounding the fighting area have been fleeing,” stated Aung Aung, a representative from a local rescue committee. He noted that the total number of displaced individuals in the region now stands at around 15,000, taking into account those previously affected by the ongoing struggles.
While the port project has faced significant setbacks due to the fighting, Kyaukphyu is also home to a completed China-backed power plant and natural gas pipeline, along with a naval base. A leader from a Rakhine-based charity, who requested anonymity, highlighted the urgent need for healthcare and medical supplies for those displaced by the violence.
Attempts to reach a spokesman for the junta for comments were unsuccessful, and the AA also did not provide a response when contacted. The investments made by China in Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, are part of the Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013 to expand China’s global trade influence.
However, control over these lucrative projects has become a central aim for both the internationally isolated junta, heavily reliant on Chinese support, and the AA, which stands as one of its most formidable opponents. The AA asserted its complete control over a critical region along the Bangladesh border back in December, further complicating the junta’s efforts as it grapples with adversaries across the country.
The United Nations reports that more than 3.5 million people are currently internally displaced throughout Myanmar, with Rakhine state alone accounting for over 500,000 of these individuals. The ongoing conflict and the humanitarian consequences exemplify the deepening crisis facing Myanmar amidst its fractured landscape of ethnic strife and governmental turmoil.
