Trade collapses in Rakhine State market destroyed by deadly airstrikes on September 28

Residents in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, and members of the Arakan Army carry out search-and-rescue operations following regime airstrikes that killed 50 on Sept. 28. (Credit: AA)

Commercial trade has completely halted at the “Indian Market” in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, which was the primary distribution hub for goods imported from India’s Mizoram State into Arakan Army (AA) controlled territory, after 50 people were killed during two airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Sept. 28.

A shop owner at the market in Kyauktaw told DVB on the condition of anonymity that sales have been drastically cut by 70 per cent in the local markets after the devastating airstrikes. Kyauktaw, located 60 miles (96 km) north of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in February 2024.