Regime deploys nearly 100 police personnel to Sittwe amid intense fighting
DMG Newsroom
26 September 2026, Sittwe
The military regime has deployed nearly 100 additional police personnel to Sittwe, the last remaining junta-controlled city in northern Arakan State, as fighting intensifies along the township's borders, according to local sources.
Junta naval vessels transported approximately 100 police officers and their family members to Sittwe on September 23, distributing them among police stations and battalions throughout the Arakan State capital.
“Police personnel and their family members arrived in Sittwe by boat, totaling roughly 100 people,” a local man in Sittwe told DMG. “This marks the second batch of fresh police reinforcements arriving in Sittwe. Police patrols and security checks along main roads have also increased.”
Local residents suspect the regime brought in fresh police forces under the guise of urban security while intending to deploy them alongside military units in frontline defensive positions.
“We heard the police reinforcements were brought in for urban security,” another Sittwe resident said. “However, police battalion bases host military troops and heavy artillery positions, so these forces will likely be drawn directly into frontline combat.”
Sittwe currently hosts two main police stations and two security police battalions.
The No. 1 Myoma Police Station on Main Road and the No. 2 Police Station in Ywagyi Mrauk Ward serve as primary centers where regime forces arbitrarily detain local residents under the pretext of overnight guest registration inspections.
Additionally, two police battalions operate alongside military units for defence and military preparations in Sittwe.
The No. 12 Police Battalion, headquartered in Setyonesu Ward, actively provides heavy artillery support during ongoing clashes, according to local residents.
The No. 36 Police Battalion, located west of Sittwe University in Bumay Village near Sittwe Airport, remains a critical strategic installation for military regime forces.
Heavy clashes between the military regime and the Arakan Army continue to rage along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border, with artillery shells landing inside Sittwe.
Relentless artillery detonations and heavy gunfire have left Sittwe residents living in constant fear for their safety.
“In recent days, the sound of heavy artillery fire was deafening,” a female resident of Sittwe said. “We are terrified to sleep at night and are considering fleeing to mainland Myanmar. If urban fighting breaks out inside the city, there will be nowhere to run, and we will be trapped.”
With the military regime maintaining a strict land and water blockade around Sittwe, commercial air travel remains the sole exit route from the city.
However, airfare from Sittwe to Yangon costs approximately K550,000 per ticket, leaving low-income families unable to afford travel to mainland Myanmar.
In addition, severe commodity price spikes have pushed basic goods out of reach, with a bag of Paw San Hmwe rice costing K250,000, a pack of Sunday instant coffee costing K30,000, gasoline reaching K20,000 per liter, and four pieces of firewood selling for K2,000.
Surging inflation and widespread unemployment are forcing daily wage earners to struggle for basic survival while neglecting urgent healthcare needs.
“Daily wage labourers need at least K20,000 just to afford a single meal, forcing people to completely ignore medical problems,” a local woman said.
Facing severe food shortages, medical crises, and security threats, local residents in Sittwe require immediate humanitarian assistance.
Blockades on land and water routes imposed by the military regime since the latest fighting in Arakan State began in November 2023 continue to trap local populations in extreme economic and survival crises.
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