Monthly Report | March 2023

Table of content

Key Remarks

Arakan Politics is in Freeze

Economic Livelihoods are under challenges

Local People are at risk of Livelihood

The Junta Forces to Return Displaced People

Key Remarks

While the junta’s forces and Arakan Army (AA) are now in an informal truce, the news of the registration of the political parties in Rakhine have become more prominent in March. As the twoarmed parties are in a lack of trust toward each other, the reinforcements of the military force and silent confrontation become the affairs of politics. For example, neither the junta has a clear date for its sham election, nor the ULA has a decisive stand on election issues

The junta authority in Rakhine attempted to show the truce with the AA as a model for other parts of the country, especially for the ethnic armed groups. The repetitive visits of the junta chief to the state also showed off some political messages of so-called ‘peace and development’ in the region. The real changes in the local economic livelihoods are not yet seen now

Despite the trade and transportation relaxation after the informal truce in late November 2022, the junta imposed some restrictions on the movement of goods and commodities outside and inside the state, including for traders requiring the permission from the junta authority. Shortage of water due to the rising temperatures in the summer, on the other hand, becomes an issue for the local population

The junta authority attempted to engage in the relocation tasks of many thousand people in the Rakhine for all communities. Yet, the relocation of the domestic IDPs is questioned due to the lack of a security guarantee and the future livelihoods. Rohingya refugee repatriation from Bangladesh is, on other hand, still an uncertain task due to the lack of trust in the junta authority and other shortcomings.

This paper is a part of Monthly Arakan Review Series, published by the Center for Arakan Studies (CAS) which seeks to monitor the situation on ground socially, economically, and politically in Rakhine State, aiming at a better understanding of Rakhine/Arakan affairs.

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