Townships in Rakhine State occupied by the Rakhine Army (AA) are facing cash shortages as the banking system is no longer operational. In Rakhine State, there are up to nine towns occupied by the AA, and all military council banks and private banks in these towns and townships where the war is raging have stopped since December 2023. Banks have been closed for almost four months, and the problem of cash shortages is getting bigger. Because the banks have stopped, money can no longer be withdrawn from the bank account. They are buying cash from people who can afford to even run a money transfer business and pay a percentage. Due to the shutdown of the banking system in Rakhine, money transfers and withdrawals are mainly carried out through the online financial system, and because of the shortage of cash, they have to pay a withdrawal fee of 10% to 15% of 100,000. In Rakhine State, some southern townships, including the capital Sittwe, which is controlled by the military council, still have banking systems, so there is not as much cash shortage as in the northern townships.
In addition, shortages of medicine in Rakhine State are also happening badly. The military council and Rakhine army are fighting hard. The military council has cut off the flow of medicine and goods, including air transport to hospitals, Due to the bombing of clinics, the health care of Rakhine residents has been badly affected, and hospitals in Rakhine state have been destroyed. Clinics are almost completely out of medicine. Especially when inpatients arrive, there are even patients who die because there is no medicine to treat them. The military council has completely cut off the supply of medicine and has also cut off the transport of medicine. Since 2022, the military council has banned the free transportation of medicine in Rakhine state, and since the fighting between the two sides in November 2023, every township has been banned by land, road, and rail. Because the waterways were blocked, it became more difficult to transport medicine.
In the current Rakhine State, AA has occupied some towns already and there is a military tension between the two sides.
