Dual crises in Rakhine State: Myanmar Navy attacks and severe floods compound civilian suffering

Civilians across Myanmar’s Arakan State are caught in a devastating dual crisis, facing intense bombardments by the Myanmar Navy while simultaneously battling severe monsoon flooding and tornado aftermath that threaten the region’s food supply.

Naval bombardment in Gwa Township

On Wednesday, four Myanmar Navy warships fired over 80 artillery shells along the coastal areas of Gwa Township, located in southern Arakan State. According to the Arakan Army (AA), the barrage injured at least six civilians, including two children.

Gwa, which was captured by the AA in late 2024, has become a flashpoint following recent territorial gains by the resistance.

The naval shelling occurred just one day after the AA announced it had successfully seized two regime outposts in neighboring Ayeyarwady Region’s Yegyi Township, located 40 miles east of Gwa.

Widespread floods and agricultural devastation

The military escalation arrives as the region grapples with extreme weather. In Gwa, the shelling compounded the misery of residents still recovering from a July 5 tornado that damaged an estimated 200 homes and brought heavy flooding.

The severe weather has been even more destructive in northern Arakan. Rain-triggered floods since July 4 have inundated the townships of Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya—all of which were seized by the AA earlier in 2024.

The Agricultural Impact:

• Submerged Land: Floodwaters have inundated at least 50 villages and swallowed over 10,000 acres of vital farmland.
• Crop Failure Fears: Farmers warn that paddy fields have been completely submerged for over four days, signaling that this year’s crucial rice crop could suffer extensive, irreversible damage.
• Mass Relocation: Families in low-lying areas across Kyauktaw and surrounding townships are being forced to abandon their homes and flee to higher ground in anticipation of continued rainfall.

This extreme weather front is part of a broader monsoon system that has also destroyed over 85 homes across the Yangon and Bago regions.

A vacuum in disaster relief

Despite the escalating humanitarian emergency, structural disaster relief remains absent.

The AA, which currently controls 14 of Arakan’s 17 townships, has not yet announced a formal plan to assist displaced residents or mitigate the agricultural losses.

Meanwhile, the regime in Naypyidaw—which retains control of Sittwe, Manaung, and Kyaukphyu townships—has remained silent on the extreme weather conditions ravaging the state.