Displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in Thandwe Township, in Arakan (Rakhine) State, are facing severe livelihood challenges driven by job shortages, prolonged displacement, rising prices, and dwindling donor support.
Around 22,000 IDPs are currently sheltering in Thandwe Township, having fled fighting in other parts of Thandwe Township and Arakan State. Some of these IDPs are facing starvation due to food shortages.
Many residents of Thandwe previously relied on offshore fishing for their livelihoods. However, since fighting resumed in Arakan State on 13 November 2023, the junta has imposed a ban on offshore fishing in several Arakan State townships, including Thandwe. This ban has worsened the income and livelihood crisis for both Thandwe Township residents and IDPs sheltering in the township.
An IDP from Thandwe Township said to DMG: “We can’t go out to sea to fish anymore, so we’ve lost our jobs. We’ve been displaced for a long time now, and we have nothing left to sell. These days, aid groups don’t come as often as they used to. If things keep going like this, we’re all going to face a serious hunger crisis.”
Some IDP camps managed by local aid groups are struggling to stay operational as donations continue to decline following the cancellation of nearly all aid from the US at the end of January 2025.
U Phyo Maung Maung, a volunteer aid worker from Thandwe Township helping IDPs in the township said: “In some camps, food shortages are becoming a big problem. As aid organisations focus more on healthcare, there are gaps in food support. All we can give is rice, so some IDPs are just eating plain rice without any curry.”
Some of the IDPs sheltering in camps in Thandwe Township are suffering from health issues brought on by living for too long in inadequate shelters and others are suffering from malnourishment due to a lack of food.
But it is not just IDP camps in Thandwe Township that are facing problems. IDP camps throughout Arakan State are struggling with a range of issues, including junta airstrikes, food shortages, skin infections, and water scarcity.
