Residents injured by junta airstrikes in Arakan State’s Maungdaw say they cannot afford to seek medical treatment, while at the same time medicines are in short supply.
Manu Sora, a 14-year-old Muslim girl, sustained severe injuries to her arms, back and chest when a junta aircraft attacked Maung Ni Village in Maungdaw Township on August 2. Four months later, she still has not received proper medical treatment due to financial difficulties.
“There is no hospital here, so I haven’t received thorough medical treatment. The wounds are still painful. I can’t afford to go to Bangladesh for treatment,” said the girl.
She and her family currently live in Hla Poe Kaung, where a clinic provides medicines for her wounds. Her father said Manu Sora needs surgery in Bangladesh to remove the remaining shrapnel from her body.
“I make a living by selling goods. I don’t have the money to take her to Bangladesh for treatment. I hope that either our Muslim community or the Rakhine [Arakanese] people can help us,” he said.
Seven civilians were killed and at least 10 others injured when the regime bombed Hparwutchaung Village in Maungdaw Township on October 21. Four civilians including a heavily pregnant displaced woman died immediately and the three others died while receiving medical treatment.
Six others including U Hla Phyu were seriously injured. They have been receiving medical treatment but need certain medicines that are currently unavailable.
“There is no Arakkha Army base in our village. We have been suffering a lot. The regime has been committing a genocide,” said U Hla Phyu.
U Hla Phyu suffered wounds to his left leg and under his ribs, and he does not have access to sufficient medicines and cannot afford surgery.
The AA has seized the entirety of Maungdaw Township, with the exception of the Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5.
The regime is targeting civilian populations in Maungdaw Township out of resentment for the territory it has lost, residents say.
The injured have called on the international community to take effective action against the regime for its airstrikes on civilians.
