‘Life Is Shattered’: Rakhine Town Lies in Ruins After Fierce Battle

CJ

Pauktaw, once a vibrant riverside town in western Myanmar, now lies broken and abandoned—its markets silenced, homes scorched, and residents scattered in fear and grief.

The town was the first to fall to the Arakan Army (AA) in its ongoing campaign against the military regime in Rakhine State. What followed was a two-month barrage of junta airstrikes, naval shelling and artillery fire, leaving much of Pauktaw in ruins.

Once home to nearly 200,000 people, Pauktaw’s bustling life centred on fishing, farming, and local delicacies like fried crab and sticky rice crackers. Now, it stands as a symbol of the cost civilians bear in Myanmar’s widening civil war.

The AA first seized the town in November 2023, only to be pushed back, before regaining full control two months later. Since then, the junta has continued its assaults from afar, rendering the area too dangerous for residents to return.

More than 500 homes, the central market, schools and government buildings were destroyed during the battle. Reports of the military using civilians as human shields and targeting temples and schools have deepened the trauma.

“My house was flattened, and we were held hostage at the pagoda,” said one survivor. “Teachers were shot. The abbot was killed. There’s nothing left.”

Around 26,000 Rohingya remain trapped in displacement camps in the area, with no food aid since early this year. Many face hunger, illness, and death from preventable diseases like malaria and diarrhoea, as medical services have all but collapsed.

International aid, once a lifeline, has vanished. The UN’s food programme last distributed cash support in January, and clinics run by NGOs have been suspended due to the fighting.

Displaced residents, mostly sheltering in monasteries or relatives’ homes, are increasingly desperate. “There’s nothing left to sell,” said a pregnant woman in a camp. “No jobs, no food, no support. I don’t know how I’ll give birth.”

With fighting inching closer to the state capital Sittwe, fear of further escalation grips the region. Even if allowed to return, few dare to.

“Our town is gone,” said one woman. “Even if we could go back—we wouldn’t feel safe.”

-2025-07-25