India on Tuesday issued the first advisory for its citizens in Myanmar following a sharp downturn in the security situation, asking citizens to immediately leave Rakhine state.

Rakhine state is among the areas where armed ethnic groups have registered significant successes against Myanmar’s junta since three powerful organisations launched an offensive last October.

“In view of the deteriorating security situation, disruption of means of telecommunications, including landlines, and severe scarcity of essential commodities, all Indian citizens are advised not to travel to the Rakhine state of Myanmar,” said the advisory issued by the external affairs ministry.

“Those Indian citizens who are already in Rakhine state are advised to leave the state immediately,” the advisory said.

Last week, India had expressed concern at the violence and instability in Myanmar on the third anniversary of the 2021 coup by the junta and said developments there have direct implications for the security of the country.

The remarks by external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came hours after Myanmar’s military rulers extended a state of emergency that has been in place since the coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

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The junta’s grip on power has been tested by a string of military successes by pro-democracy resistance forces since last October.

Besides expressing concern at the deteriorating security situation in Myanmar, which has direct implications for New Delhi, the Indian side had called for the complete cessation of violence and a transition towards an inclusive and federal democracy.

“We want an early resolution of the issue through constructive dialogue and the return of peace and stability in the country,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Last week, the United States imposed further sanctions on Myanmar that targeted two entities and several people closely associated with the junta. The sanctions were aimed at the fuel the junta uses to conduct air strikes as part of its offensive against resistance forces and the military’s ability to manufacture arms.

The coup by the military on February 1, 2021, sparked nationwide chaos and ended a decade of democracy and economic reforms. It also sparked uprisings by armed ethnic groups in different parts of Myanmar.

Last October, the most powerful anti-junta forces – Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Arakan Army and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – jointly launched a campaign that has seen the resistance capture at least 35 towns, including key trade posts and crossings on the borders with India and China.

Hundreds of Myanmar military personnel have surrendered to the resistance forces in Shan and Rakhine states. More than 600 Myanmar troops also crossed the border with India to escape the fighting and were subsequently repatriated. Thousands of people from Myanmar have also sought refuge in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram.