Kauknimaw Village in Ramree Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State was devastated by a junta airstrike that killed 26 villagers, injured 27 and burned down 379 houses, on 8 January 2025
Most of the village was burned down in the airstrike. Villagers whose homes were destroyed are currently seeking refuge with relatives and are in urgent need of food and shelter.
A villager who lost his house in the airstrike said: “We no longer have a house to live in. We can't afford to rebuild our house during this crisis. The Arakan Army (AA) has provided some support, but we still need a lot of help to sustain our livelihoods.”
The villagers have been deeply traumatised by the airstrike and those whose homes were destroyed face many hardships to rebuild them.
Another Kyauknimaw villager who also lost his house said to DMG: “Those who lost their homes are temporarily staying in nearby houses. However, the threat of airstrikes is still present and gatherings of large groups of people are not safe. For now, locals from surrounding communities are sending food packs to the villagers who lost their homes, but there are many long-term challenges beyond just rebuilding homes. The difficulties are substantial.”
U Tun Kyi is a leading committee member of the Spring Revolution Interfaith Network (SRIN), that was formed on 7 August 2021 by religious leaders and civil society leaders from different ethnic and religious backgrounds to actively oppose and fight against the military dictatorship.
He said: “The charred ruins must be cleared as soon as possible to allow rebuilding efforts to start. The AA must also help heal the emotional wounds of those who have endured this ordeal, whilst providing humanitarian assistance to help them recover from their losses.”
The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA, along with local civil society organisations are doing their best to provide medical treatment to the injured and emergency food supplies to villagers left homeless by the attack.
According to a 14 January statement by the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO), the branch of the AA responsible for dealing with humanitarian issues in Arakan State, 1,682 people from 379 households in Kyauknimaw Village were made homeless by the airstrike and are in urgent need of food and assistance.
So far in January 2025, junta airstrikes and artillery attacks in Arakan State have killed 94 civilians, including children and destroyed hundreds of homes.
