Arakan News Agency
The temporary closure of the border trade route between India and the city of Paletwa in Myanmar’s Chin State, which is the main passage for goods entering Arakan State, has led to a significant rise in the prices of essential goods and a shortage of medicines in the cities controlled by Arakanese Buddhist militias (Arakan Army).
Local residents reported, as stated by the Mizzima website, that the cost of many goods increased between 2,000 and 5,000 kyats since the third week of November, while sharp increases were noted in the prices of fuel, cooking oil bottles, and coffee.
A resident explained that many cities are currently facing a shortage of medicines, while food supplies have not yet been depleted, there are fears that they might run out soon.
A liter of Octane 92 gasoline is now sold for about 14,000 kyats compared to 10,000 kyats previously, while the price of a 1,000 gram bottle of cooking oil has risen from 8,000 to 12,000 kyats.
It is noted that the border road between India’s Mizoram State and the city of Paletwa in Chin State has been closed since November 13 due to a severe diarrhea outbreak that resulted in fatalities, and the outbreak is still ongoing, prompting authorities to keep the closure in effect.
The city of Paletwa is under the control of Arakan militias, and traders in Arakan State rely on this road to transport goods, with some currently facing problems with perishable goods remaining on the road.
The Arakan Buddhist militias control the majority of Arakan State after launching a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar Army, and they have managed to take control of vast areas as a result of a conflict that has also severely affected the Rohingya. The Rohingya have experienced violence, forced displacement, persecution, and forced conscription from both sides since they also suffered a genocide campaign by the Myanmar Army since 2017, forcing nearly a million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
