Burma: in a destroyed city, the heavy price to pay to defeat the junta

In western Burma, gutted buildings and piles of debris bear witness to the explosions and fighting that chased away people. the Pauktaw city junta. But its residents are still waiting to return to their homes due to lack of security.

Fighters from the Arakan Army (AA) announced in January the capture of this port of some 20,000 inhabitants in Rakhine State, inflicting a major setback on the generals in power since the 2021 coup.

In recent months, central power has retreated in several border regions, to the benefit of its opponents, political or representing an ethnic minority, who hope to put an end to the influence military in place for decades.

But in the town of Pauktaw, the firepower of the army has left deep scars, the inhabitants, scattered in villages surrounding areas, fear a new outbreak of violence.

All those interviewed by AFP requested anonymity for security reasons.

Residents in front of a destroyed building following clashes between the army and Arakan Army rebels in Rakhine state, western Burma, May 21, 2024 © AFP – STR

“We are afraid of them (the army)”, says one of them.

“We don't know what will happen, or what kind of weapon they will use against us if we return home… We cannot detect their airstrikes, nor their bombs, and we will be killed if they attack us”, he estimates.

Images taken by residents and obtained exclusively by AFP show silent streets, 'except for birdsong and the sound of digging by AA fighters sifting through piles of debris and corrugated iron.

– Panic flight –

Near the market, usually bustling with sellers of crabs and tiger shrimp, a tattered billboard advertising a telephone operator floats above the entrance door to a destroyed shop.

A woman cooks near a destroyed house and burned trees following clashes between the army and Arakan Army rebels in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, on May 21, 2024 © AFP – STR

Internet and telephone networks have been cut in the city.

The AA has been fighting the junta for years in sporadic clashes, demanding increased autonomy for the Rakhine ethnic group who live near the border with Bangladesh.

The group recently launched a major offensive at a time when its adversary is weakened, contested by various oppositions in several regions.

In order to erase the losses conceded on the ground, the generals of the junta are banking more and more on their advantage in the air.

Their air force targets in particular civilian communities suspected of being taken over by opposition, human rights groups denounce.

When a military helicopter flew over Pauktaw and started shooting last November, many fled in panic with nothing to be able to take with them.

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Even the just-prepared rice casserole, “we couldn't eat it”, describes a resident who took refuge in a nearby village .

“We had no money when we left, only some gold jewelry. We tried to pawn them, but it wasn't easy. The interest rate was too high,” she continues. .

The fighting, now entering its fourth year, has so far displaced more than 2.7 million people across the country, according to the United Nations.

Since its capture of Pauktaw in January, the Arakan Army has not allowed residents to return, citing the danger of aerial bombardments from the junta, unless to recover personal items.

– Flights –

Coming to check the state of his house, a man found it partially destroyed, without the box containing his savings, which had disappeared, he said.

A woman noticed that almost everything had been stolen from her home, even her father's fishing nets.

A Buddhist monastery destroyed following clashes between the army and Arakan Army rebels in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, May 21, 2024 © AFP – STR

“I'm a tailor and luckily I managed to save my sewing machines,” she says.

During the fighting, both sides looted and destroyed buildings, according to local press.

In March, the Arakan Army announced that it would ” investigate” into reported cases of looting by its members.

Through sometimes intense clashes the AA has progressed in Rakhine State, in border areas of India and Bangladesh.

The ethnic group has set itself the objective of taking the provincial capital Sittwe, the junta's last stronghold in the region and an important commercial node, located 25 kilometers from Pauktaw.

– “Revenge” –

In April, the inhabitants of Sittwe were warned of the imminence of a “decisive” battle.

Some of them told AFP that the army was restricting travel out of the city, by road or boat, and that the price of basic foodstuffs, such as rice and eggs, had doubled.

A woman walks among makeshift shelters following clashes between the army and Arakan Army rebels in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, May 21, 2024. © AFP – STR

The displaced population of Pauktaw is worried about the escalation of conflict in the region.

“I'm sad that we left our house”, conceded a resident.

“I pawned my necklace for 18 lakhs (around 800 euros at the official exchange rate), so we have money to live on, I still hope to be able to get it back,” he continues.

Other people interviewed talk about their desire for revenge.

“I didn’t join the Arakan Army so as not to leave my child,” a woman explains. But if that wasn't the case, “I would join them and fight,” she says. “I will only be satisfied once I have taken my revenge.”

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