Over 20 civilians have been killed and an undisclosed number of people have been injured during two separate airstrikes carried out over the course of two days by the Myanmar Air Force on a jetty and cargo terminal in Chin State’s Paletwa Township on Oct. 18-19.
A Paletwa resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the terminal, located at the headwaters of the Laymro River in Chaungzon village, was vital for goods being transported from India’s Mizoram State into townships in neighboring Arakan State under Arakan Army (AA) control. Paletwa, located 287 miles (462 km) south of the state capital Hakha, was seized by the AA on Jan. 14, 2024.
Residents living in territory controlled by the AA, which includes 14 Arakan townships as well as Chin’s Paletwa, have relied on imported food, fuel and medicines from India after the military imposed a land and sea blockade following the launch of the AA’s most recent offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.
A trader in Paletwa told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime airstrikes targeting civilian infrastructure are disrupting livelihoods and causing food insecurity.
This follows airstrikes on a market in Arakan’s Kyauktaw Township that killed 50 civilians on Sept. 28. Kyauktaw, located 60 miles (96 km) north of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in February 2024.
Kyauktaw residents told DVB that cargo truck drivers, motorbike taxi drivers, and porters who carry goods to the market, have all lost their main source of income since the wholesale hub was destroyed by the airstrikes.
Fighting between the AA and regime forces is ongoing in Sittwe and Pauktaw, 131 miles (210 km) east of Sittwe, as part of the latest regime counteroffensive against the AA which began on Sept. 4.
The AA expanded its offensive into neighboring Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions in early 2025. It continues to contest control of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, 317 miles (510 km) south of Sittwe, which have been held by the regime.
