Myanmar Military Commission Attacks Rescue Convoys in Kyaukphyu, Arakan State

News January 8, 2026

Rescue convoys delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians displaced by ongoing fighting in Kyaukphyu Township have come under fire from the Military Commission, according to local humanitarian workers, as clashes with the Arakan Army (AA) intensify and spread across the area.

Volunteers involved in relief operations reported that convoys transporting aid were targeted by Military Commission fighter jets and heavy artillery fired from naval vessels stationed offshore. Wai Han Aung, a humanitarian worker who participated in ground-level relief efforts, told AB News that the attacks occurred while aid teams were traveling to assist displaced communities.

“When we were traveling by car, a military aircraft circled behind us. The shells fired from the aircraft landed and exploded not far from our vehicle. Then, a naval vessel also fired a shell toward us. That was the situation on the ground at the time we were there,” he said.

He added that as fighting has expanded throughout Kyaukphyu town and surrounding villages, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has continued to rise.

Kyaukphyu Township is currently sheltering an estimated 25,000 displaced people, and emergency humanitarian assistance is urgently needed, he said.

“When the fighting first broke out, some residents fled immediately. People took refuge in villages such as Kya Tein and U Gaung, as well as with relatives in other villages. However, as those areas also became part of the conflict zone, displacement increased further. Some civilians have been forced to flee up to three times. During their first displacement, they brought small personal belongings to survive and sold them to resettle in another village. When they had to flee again, they were left with nothing. These people are facing extreme hardship. Based on our records, there are currently around 25,000 displaced persons in Kyaukphyu Township,” he explained.

Meanwhile, local humanitarian workers have also suffered casualties as a result of indiscriminate shelling and air and naval attacks carried out by the Military Commission, including strikes from fixed artillery units.

On October 26 last year, 14-year-old Maung Htay Aung Hine, a volunteer with the Ponnagyun-based Lin Yaung Chi Foundation, was killed in a Military Commission drone strike while traveling by vehicle to transport an emergency patient to Kwant Taung Village in Ponnagyun Township.

Junta airstrike on Mrauk-U Public Hospital on December 10, 2025 (photocrd)

Similarly, on December 10, International Human Rights Day, four young volunteers from the Mrauk-U Youth Organization were among those killed when the Military Commission carried out an airstrike on Mrauk-U Public Hospital.

According to available information, at least six humanitarian aid workers have been killed in Arakan State as a result of the Military Commission attacks during the course of the fighting.

Source@arakanbaynews