Over 26,000 displaced, dozens killed in one week amid clashes in Myanmar

More than 26,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state this week, the United Nations said on Friday.

This came as militants of the Arakan Army (AA) launched attacks on security forces in Rakhine and neighboring Chin state on Monday, which ended a cease-fire and opened another front in the conflict in Myanmar.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said at least 11 people had been killed in military shelling of AA positions since Monday.

The UN agency said that “virtually all” roads and waterways connecting townships in Rakhine had been blocked and that most humanitarian activities had been suspended.

It said that over 100 people had reportedly been detained by authorities since the start of the clashes.

An attack on Wednesday on the village of Vuilu in the southern Matupi township in Chin state killed at least 11 civilians, according to the Associated Press.

Myanmar’s junta has been fighting on multiple fronts against rebel groups in various states.