"Fighting continues in northern Rakhine State since the Arakan Army (AA) launched an offensive against Myanmar’s junta in mid-November last year. The AA has seized Mrauk-U, Minbya, Kyauktaw and Pauktaw towns and Paletwa in southern Chin State along with numerous junta bases and border outposts. The AA is attacking Rathedaung town and has told the Regional Operations Command in the state capital, Sittwe, to surrender. Sittwe is the junta’s administrative seat in Rakhine. The regime blew up a bridge on the Yangon-Sittwe road to disrupt AA troops advances on the city and senior administrative officials have allegedly left Sittwe. Many of Sittwe’s residents have left but The Irrawaddy recently talked to someone who remains in the city. What is the situation in Sittwe? The AA has taken most of northern Rakhine State but Buthidaung has not fallen. The AA controls Paletwa, Kyauktaw, Minbya and Mrauk-U along the Kaladan River. Only Sittwe is left. Many residents have fled and people fear the city could be flattened, like Pauktaw and Minbya. Those who can afford it have gone to Yangon, Mandalay or Pyay. Half of the city has already fled and many are waiting to buy air tickets. Flights are apparently booked until late April. Canceled tickets cost around 700,000 kyats (US$200), about eight times the normal price. The regime has blockaded Sittwe, which is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and some try to escape by sea. Residents fear fighting could break out at anytime and junta shelling and airstrikes will follow if fighting starts. They know about the regime’s indiscriminate attacks elsewhere. Many residents cannot afford to leave and there is no way out from Sittwe if fighting breaks out. We heard junta administrators are leaving Sittwe. The government neighborhood is heavily guarded and cordoned off. We heard reports that they are moving to Thandwe [200km to the south]. Is there enough food despite the regime’s blockade? Commodities are running low since the roads were blocked. Shops are selling off their stocks as they want to leave. They are not restocking. Garlic is unavailable and an onion costs 1,000 kyats. We still can buy peppers from the Muslim villages but the fuel prices make it difficult to get there. Some cycle. A used bike sells for around 500,000 kyats. Fuel has dropped from 30,000 kyats to around 18,000 kyats per liter. [The Yangon price is around 2,600 kyats]. There are no children’s snacks and rice and cooking oil prices have soared. Many people left with nothing and they need blankets at night. They also need food. Fighting started more than three months ago and people are facing serious food shortages. How are transport, communications and health care? They have cut off internet access. And we can only use [military-owned] Mytel sims to make phone calls but the signal is unstable. We switched to Mytel but we can’t transfer cash online. Many people working in Thailand and Malaysia cannot transfer remittances. I heard Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Ponnagyun are deserted. Hospitals and clinics still operate. The regime has imposed a curfew in Sittwe. A motorbike taxi driver was shot dead last week. No one knows who did it. Some blamed junta soldiers but others said it was the Arakan Liberation Party. The city is in panic. How are residents earning a living in Sittwe? Businesses have not been able to operate for months. People do odd-jobs and business owners eat what they have. Many motorbike taxi drivers now use cycle-rickshaws due to high fuel prices. Theft has increased. The police are not interested in crime as they are busy ensuring their safety. Fishing and trade are the main sources of income in Sittwe but businesses have closed and the streets are largely deserted..."