Around 3,000 residents from around a dozen villages, primarily inhabited by the Asho Chin people, located along the road connecting Ann Town in Arakan (Rakhine) State to Padan Town in Magway Region, are in urgent need of assistance after being displaced by the junta’s air raids and ground operations.
These villages are situated near Ngape and Padan towns in Ngape Township, Magway Region. Some villages have been displaced since 2024, while others fled in 2025.
“The displaced villages are all located along the highway. This year, locals of Linte and its surrounding villages were also displaced. The junta carried out three airstrikes on these villages this year, and there is constant risk of ground troops entering at any time. That’s why the locals have decided to evacuate. Also, pro-resistance informants within the junta’s ranks have shared intelligence suggesting that the junta is planning to bomb nearby villages from the air to prevent its tactical operations command west of Ngape Town from falling. Because of these reports, the locals no longer feel safe staying in their villages and are fleeing to the forests, where they can access natural water sources,” a source close to the displaced persons said.
At least 13 Asho Chin villages, including those near Padan Town and others such as Linte, Maton, Yaythar, Kapauktaung, Bonpaw, Kywetale, and Zabaut, located around the junta’s operations command known as Natyaekan base, are currently displaced.
The junta has also ordered the relocation of two Asho Chin villages in the area to new sites it has designated.
After allied resistance forces launched an offensive against the Natyaekan base, located between Ann and Padan towns, the junta bombed nearby Asho Chin villages, forcing residents to flee.
In addition, some Asho Chin villages have been displaced after junta troops entered, arrested parents accusing their children of being resistance fighters, and detained locals for allegedly supporting the resistance.
The approximately 3,000 displaced individuals in need of humanitarian assistance include elderly people over 90 years old, infants, and school-age children.
“The displaced people have sought shelter in the forests, where they can access drinking water and live in makeshift tents, creating a situation much like that of refugee camps. Their conditions are really tough. To make matters worse, the junta has restricted transportation routes in the region, leading to a shortage of basic supplies and a severe lack of medicine,” an aid worker helping the displaced population told Khonumthung.
Strong collaboration between civil society and humanitarian organizations is also essential to effectively assist these displaced people, he added.
The Arakan Army (AA) and joint resistance forces are launching attacks on junta positions along the Ann-Padan Road.