Junta Rushes ~1,000 Reinforcements Into Sittwe, Occupies Homes as Arakan Army Closes In

By August 25, 2026, the junta had deployed approximately 1,000 additional troops to defend Sittwe, one of only three coastal enclaves it still holds in Rakhine State. Regime forces repaired the Sat Yoe Kya Bridge on the Sittwe-Ponnagyun road, dug bunkers, and occupied private homes near the periphery, telling residents that anything left behind would be confiscated for military use. The Arakan Army has encircled Sittwe and pushed to within roughly 2km of the town after fighting near Yaychanpyin Village in late July; loss of Sittwe would mark the junta's complete loss of northern Rakhine State.