Heavy clashes have intensified around Sittwe as the Arakan Army (AA) advances to within 2 kilometers of the Rakhine State capital, according to residents and local sources. Exchanges of gunfire and artillery have continued for nearly a week around Kyay Taw, a village separated from Sittwe by a creek, as well as in areas within 3 km of the junta’s Regional Operations Command and the Shwe Min Gan naval base. Sittwe is one of only three junta-controlled towns in Rakhine.

Residents said AA fighters were advancing from river routes to strike military positions. “Fighting has spread to Kyay Taw over the past few days,” said a Sittwe resident.

A source close to the AA said clashes have intensified as junta troops attempt to retake positions lost to the AA. “So far, the AA troops have repelled the junta’s offensives in several locations.”

Locals reported daily bursts of small‑arms and heavy‑weapons fire, often intensifying at night. “We hear it every day now,” said a woman from Sittwe’s Pyi Taw Thar ward.

The AA began attacking Sittwe in late 2025 after seizing 14 of 17 townships in Rakhine State. Sittwe is the only town in northern Rakhine still under junta control. In early January, AA forces advancing from neighboring Ponnagyun Township overran dozens of junta troops in their Sittwe strongholds near Tawkan and Kantkaw Kyun. Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships are separated by a creek.

The junta has retaliated with airstrikes in AA-held territory, killing dozens of civilians in recent weeks. Six children and 12 women were among 20 people killed when a warplane bombed Ponnagyun’s Yoe Ngu village, about 30 km north of Sittwe town, last Tuesday.

The regime has reportedly amassed around 2,000 infantry and 1,000 naval troops in 10 warships to defend Sittwe. They are supported by Muslim militias and allied Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) troops.

Junta forces have also mined local waterways and tightened checkpoints inside Sittwe. Residents say ALP fighters are conducting daily household inspections and arrests.

In mid-2024, the regime forcibly relocated residents from around 20 villages surrounding Sittwe into the town. Locals said the military is using them as a “human shield” for its bases, trapping civilians in an area where food and basic supplies are hard to come by.

As the seat of junta administration in Rakhine, Sittwe hosts the state government offices, the Regional Operations Command headquarters, and more than a dozen battalions, including navy and artillery units. The military’s Western Command has also relocated to Sittwe after Ann Township, where it was previously based, was captured by the AA.

The AA is also fighting the regime in Kyaukphyu—home to Chinese megaprojects that form part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.

The AA, which now controls 14 townships in Rakhine as well as Paletwa in neighboring Chin State, has repeatedly declared its intention to seize full control of Myanmar’s west-coast state.

The article appeared in the irrawaddy