Some poor families and elderly people living on the outskirts of Sittwe City in Arakan (Rakhine) State are facing starvation because they cannot earn enough to buy food.
In Sittwe City’s Satyonesu Ward (also known as Narzi Village), Mingan Ward, and Dhanyawadi Ward—where many of the poorest communities live—many families can no longer afford to have three full meals a day because they do not earn enough, due to a lack of jobs in the area.
Many poor families have started picking wild vegetables to sell, while others have turned to begging. Locals said that in their desperation, some have even resorted to crime to cope with their hunger.
A Sittwe resident said: “No parent can stand seeing their kids starve. So, some end up stealing or begging to try to solve the problem. They’re always on the lookout for charity events or donations in Sittwe, just to get food. The hunger crisis in Sittwe is only going to worsen.”
Amongst the starving are many elderly people. Another Sittwe resident said: “There are a lot of elderly people in Satyonesu who are starving. They don’t have any children to take care of them, and they’re not strong enough to work anymore. So, they really suffer. On days when there’s no rice at all, they just get by drinking water the whole day.”
Some people who can afford it donate food packets and rice to these poor communities, but it is insufficient for their growing needs.
International organisations, civil society groups, and monasteries are providing aid to displaced people (IDPs) who are sheltering in Sittwe City, but there is no proper support for the city’s poorer families.
This has led to desperate, starving families from Satyonesu Ward and other nearby wards pretending to be IDPs and seeking refuge with IDPs in monasteries, just so that they can get some food.
A man from Dhanyawadi Ward said to DMG: “If we stay at home, we’re definitely going to starve. At least at the monastery, we don’t go hungry. So, our family has been moving to wherever we can find food.”
When fighting spread to Sittwe Township wealthier residents moved to the mainland and other safer areas, but many poor residents were left behind and are now struggling with hardships.
