RAKHINE STATE — Multiple civilians in Rakhine State, Myanmar, sustained injuries from landmines planted by the Myanmar military between December 2019 and November 2024. These incidents led to amputations, blindness, and long-term disabilities for the survivors.

Nabi Hasan stepped on a landmine planted by the Myanmar military outside his village in Nayapara on December 2, 2019. He remained unconscious at Buthidaung hospital for two days. Medical staff removed splinters from his face, hands, and left leg, resulting in the loss of his left eye and the amputation of his left leg.

On December 19, 2023, Sofayatullah triggered a landmine near his village while placing firewood. The mine had been planted by the Myanmar military's Infantry Battalion 551. Hospital staff at Buthidaung amputated a portion of his leg below the knee to remove splinters. "I remember hearing a deafening sound before falling unconscious. Then I realized that my left ankle was severed," Sofayatullah said. He has since become a boatman and no longer sells firewood.

Win Khin, a community leader and mother in Lay Hla village, stepped on a landmine on January 30, 2024, while gathering firewood. Medical staff at Sittwe hospital performed multiple operations to remove splinters from her nose, face, neck, and hips. "I could not see anything. Then I understood that I was blind," Khin said. She now uses a wheelchair for mobility.

Mohammad Taker triggered a landmine with a machete on February 9, 2024, as he returned home after gathering bamboo. Hospital staff at Buthidaung amputated a portion of his left leg below the knee to remove splinters. He obtained an artificial leg six months after the incident.

Teenagers Maung Tun Naing and Maung Tun Sein were among a group from Thi Ho Aye village in Buthidaung township involved in a blast. Maung Tun Naing's right leg was amputated the day after the incident. Another person in the group sustained splinter injuries to both hands.

Oo Htun Hlaing, a former education officer, stepped on a landmine on November 27, 2024, while gathering firewood near Naw Rone Taung village. He regained consciousness at Maungdaw hospital twelve hours after the explosion. "I realized that my legs and three fingers on my right hand were gone," Oo Htun Hlaing said. He is currently unemployed and lives with his parents, wife, and son.

On November 19, 2024, U Than stepped on a landmine while herding cattle near his village. Hospital staff at Buthidaung amputated his left leg the day after the incident. He now operates a vegetable shop at his residence.