Four Significant Highlights

4. Conflict Spreading

The armed conflict from 2018 to 2020 was mostly restricted to the bounded territory of 7 northern townships such as KyaukTaw, Mrauk-U, Min-Bya and Mye-Bone, Rethedaung, Ponnagyun, and Buthidaung within three northern districts such as Mrauk-U, Sittwe and Maungdaw and neighbouring Paletwa township.

But, for this time, more armed clashes in the new areas of the southern townships such as Taungup, Kyauk-Phyu and Rambree have been and could be seen resulting from the release of new IDP populations, civilian deaths, injuries, and arrests to disappearance. Even during the de facto ceasefire periods, there were many incidents in which the junta forces efforted to contain the ULA administrative and judiciary expansion into the Southern townships like Kyauk-Phyu, Rambree and Taungup, possibly even Thandwe and Gwa by arresting the suspicious civilians and ULA members and raiding the targeted areas.

On the other hand, the local news reported the ULA/AA was consistently moving new forces and building new bases in these areas, especially in Taunggok township. Consequently, two armed clashes broke out in the previous months, the first one on August 25 when at a location between Chaungthongkhwa and Kyeintaw villages in the southern part of Taungup and took about 20 minutes resulting in some causalities from the junta side and the relocation of villagers into safer areas.

The second clash happened on September 16 when the AA attacked the military vehicles transporting soldiers from the water ports, and the battlefield was just three miles far away from the town and took about 40 minutes. At the same event, the AA also attacked on the military navy.

So, the changing conflict map is also worth noting given the fact that Kyauk-Phyu, Rambree and Taungup ranked as the three highest regarding the arrests and detaining by the junta authority during the three months.

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