“Airstrikes are launched around Thandwe almost every day. People don’t dare to live there anymore. People are terrified,” said a Thandwe resident whose village has been bombed three times.
Residents of Thandwe Township are forced to leave their homes as Myanmar military aircraft continue to carry out repeated strikes across the area. Many people have moved to safer areas in southern Rakhine, such as Taungup and Ramree townships, while others are hiding in nearby forests. Daily life has become increasingly difficult as the attacks continue.
The latest wave of attacks has been particularly intense in August. On August 10, an airstrike on Kyaukkyi village in Thandwe Township killed 14 people and injured 11 others, including women, men, and children. Houses in the village were also damaged. The attacks have not been limited to Thandwe town only. Kyeintali, a coastal settlement in Gwa Township, was hit, on August 13, and other parts of southern Rakhine experienced airstrikes during the same period. A second strike on August 16 targeted an area near the Maung Shwe Lay naval base.
On August 21, the Arakan Army (AA) said ten aircraft, including jet fighters and Y-12 and Y-8 transport planes, struck at least three locations in Thandwe Township within a single hour, dropping an estimated 100 bombs, killing one civilian and injuring fourteen others. According to the AA statement, “At 5:01 a.m., a 500-pound bomb struck the Nyaung Chaung Village High School. The attack completely destroyed the school building and injured seven civilians who were using the facility as a temporary shelter.”
This resulted in people leaving Thandwe town and the Ngapali area again, following repeated airstrikes, with Jeittaw Ward, near Ngapali, among the areas repeatedly affected. The attacks have also disrupted normal economic activity. Shops and markets have closed, while people who depend on daily work have struggled to earn an income. At the same time, transport problems caused by the monsoon have made it harder to bring food into the township, and rice prices have risen sharply.
By August 23, the intensity of the bombardment led the AA to impose its first nighttime curfew across Thandwe, Gwa, and Toungup townships, restricting movement between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. except for medical or urgent emergencies. Tatmadaw aircraft and naval vessels continued reconnaissance flights and strikes around Taungup, Thandwe, Gwa, Kyeintali and Ngapali in the days that followed.
Thandwe holds particular importance because its location in southern Rakhine gives the AA access to key routes crossing the Rakhine Yoma mountain range toward central Myanmar, connecting southern Rakhine to the country’s interior. These routes connect AA–held territory with areas farther east where fighting has spread, including Yegyi Township in Ayeyarwady Region, where the AA claims to have captured several Tatmadaw positions.
This eastward expansion makes southern Rakhine more valuable to the AA as a base for organizing and supporting its wider campaign. The Stimson Center has described this pattern as an “Arakan Axis,” linking the Rakhine conflict to battles farther east and highlighting the strategic value of Rakhine Yoma routes for military positions, infrastructure, and transport links in Ayeyarwady and neighboring regions.
The current situation in Thandwe reflects both a military and humanitarian crisis. The AA controls the township on the ground, but the Tatmadaw continues to use air power to strike the area, with attacks intensifying through August. These strikes have caused repeated displacement, damaged homes and livelihoods, and disrupted daily life for those who remain. As the AA’s eastward campaign toward Ayeyarwady and Bago continues, Thandwe’s position along that corridor suggests the township will likely remain under sustained aerial pressure in the near term.
Verification Note: The information in this report has been compiled from multiple credible sources and cross-checked for consistency. Data and reports have been used to corroborate events where possible. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, access limitations may prevent independent verification of all details. Map created using Google My Maps.
Afiya Ibnath Ayshi is a Security and Strategic Reporting Fellow at Bangladesh Defence Journal. She covers defence, foreign affairs, and humanitarian issues, focusing on how regional and global developments influence Bangladesh’s security and diplomacy. A graduate in English from the University of Dhaka, she brings a research-based and balanced approach to her work.
