Many children under the age of five in Arakan (Rakhine) State’s Maungdaw Township are suffering from malnutrition because their families struggle to obtain sufficient food for them, according to aid workers.
Child malnutrition is especially severe in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Muslim villages, where one-third of children under the age of five are malnourished.
A woman helping IDPs in Maungdaw Township said to DMG: “As families face livelihood crises, children are no longer properly nourished. Their stomachs become distended but they remain extremely thin.”
IDPs in Maungdaw Township are struggling with a combination of limited aid, a lack of jobs, and soaring prices. When families face such problems they cannot afford to buy themselves or their children enough rice, meat, or fish and as a result malnutrition amongst IDP children has soared.
Children can suffer from malnutrition if they do not eat enough food or if the food they consume lacks essential nutrients. Medical experts warn that severe malnutrition can lead to significant body fat loss and a reduction in white blood cells, which can potentially weaken the immune system.
Skin diseases are also spreading. A Maungdaw Township resident said: “Skin diseases are currently widespread among children in Maungdaw [Township], with many suffering from severe itchiness. At the same time, children are also battling malnutrition, and parents feel powerless to help.”
Some adult IDPs in Maungdaw Town are also suffering from skin disease. For many with skin disease the situation is being compounded because they cannot afford medicine due to the high cost of medicines in Arakan State.
The aforementioned woman helping IDPs in Maungdaw Township said: “Here [in Maungdaw Township], a blister pack of 10 to 12 paracetamol tablets costs between 2,000 and 4,000 MMK. There is a critical need for both medicines and other aid materials for IDPs.” Previously, such a pack of paracetamol would have cost between 1,000 and 2,000 MMK.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates that children have the right to live in a safe environment with adequate nutrition, freedom, mental and physical security. However in conflict zones, children are often denied these fundamental rights.
But In Maungdaw Township it is not just children suffering from malnutrition, some pregnant women and elderly people have been unable to get enough food and there have been some reports of elderly IDPs dying from malnutrition in the township.
The Arakan Army (AA) first captured Maungdaw Township and then captured Maungdaw Town, the administrative centre of Maungdaw Township, on 8 December 2024. The AA is currently conducting demining operations and resettling IDPs across the township. Meanwhile, local communities face escalating economic hardships due to the lack of assistance from international and civil society organisations.
