(Based on the AA’s WIKIPEDIA Page and IRRAWADDY’s Yakhine War Video.)
The Arakan Army (AA) and its civilian wing the
United League of Arakan (UAL) were founded in 2009 and quickly became one of
Myanmar's strongest rebel groups. They fought against Myanmar Army and gained
territory in northern Rakhine State and Paletwa Township in southern Chin State
by 2020.
The Arakan Army then announced a unilateral
ceasefire in November 2020 to facilitate voting in the 2020 general election. After
the resurgence of civil war by 2021 Coup, the Arakan Army focused more on
expanding their administrative capabilities. However, over the 2022 monsoon
season, the ceasefire broke down. With the military's attention diverted to the
increasing resistance elsewhere and increasing popular support for an alliance
with the NUG, the AA sought to expand its influence into southern Rakhine.
On 26 November 2022, the Arakan Army and the Myanmar junta agreed to a temporary ceasefire brokered by Yōhei Sasakawa of the Nippon Foundation. Arakan Army spokespeople maintained that they agreed to the ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, as opposed to international pressure. The Arakan Army did not withdraw from fortifications held at the time of the ceasefire.
The Arakan Army, fighting for the
self-determination of the Arakan people, broke the 1-year ceasefire agreed in
2022 on 13 November 2023 by attacking Border Guard Police Posts in Rathedaung
Township.
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| AA had captured 9 towns in 4 months! |
Rakhine offensive (2023–present)
On 13 November 2023, the Arakan Army (AA) launched
a military offensive against Myanmar's military junta in Rakhine and southern
Chin State. Fighting began concurrently with the launch of Operation 1027, in which
the Arakan Army as a member of the Three-Brotherhood-Alliance of
MNDAA and TNLA and AA, had participated.
During the offensive, AA captured several towns in
northern Rakhine, including Mrauk U, the capital of Mrauk-U District and the
historical capital of Arakan. These gains gave them total control over most of
northern Arakan. The Arakan Army followed these successes by besieging Sittwe,
the state capital, and Ann, the headquarters of the junta's western command Na-Pa-Kha.
They also launched offensives in the southern parts
of the state, capturing several towns and throwing junta forces into disarray. After
several months, the Arakan Army has made rapid gains throughout Rakhine and
southern Chin State, capturing eight out of seventeen townships of Rakhine
State and nine major towns throughout the state.
Once Yakhine State has fallen the AA could expand its operations eastward into Magwe Division and threaten the crucial DI (Defence Industries) factories in the narrow strip west of Irrawaddy River and stop the flow of weapons and ammunitions manufactured there. AA could also expand southward into the populous Irrawaddy Division and basically threaten Rangoon Division and eventually topple the universally-hated Myamar Military Government.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that the Arakan Army's sweeping gains "are already enough to enable self-rule over a large portion of the Rakhine homeland and to reshape the wider balance of power in Myanmar."
Rakhine offensive TimeLine (2023-2024)
On the morning of 13 November 2023, AA attacked two Border Guard Police stations in Rathedaung Township, breaking the Rakhine State Ceasefire Agreement between the junta and the Arakan Army. Dong Paik camp was captured by 6:30 am. On 14 November, the junta had already abandoned around 40 outposts in Rakhine state after attacks by the Arakan Army, but few came under their immediate control
The following night, AA launched an attack on
Pauktaw, seizing the township police station. By the next morning, the Arakan
Army had taken control of the town. The junta sent two helicopter gunships
alongside naval support to fire back, also at civilian houses, with heavy
machine gun fire. Pauktaw's proximity to the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe,
posed a threat to the junta
On 14 November, AA launched an offensive in Paletwa
Township on the Chin-Rakhine border. On 6 December, the Arakan Army announced that
they had captured a major military base in the township.
On 8 January 2024, the Arakan Army captured the Taung-Shey-Taung
Army-base and its 200 junta soldiers in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State. They
then escalated their offensive into Paletwa Township, Chin State with the aim
of capturing Paletwa, a strategic town for the Indo-Myanmar Kaladan Multi-Modal
Transit Transport Project.
On 15 January, the Arakan Army seized Paletwa and the entire township, declaring it a "military council-free area." A week later, the Arakan Army captured the town of Pauktaw in Rakhine State concluding a three-month battle.
On 17 January 2024, the Taingen camp on the Falam
road to the Indian border was captured, with Chin resistance forces seizing
arms and ammunition. On 20 January 2024, after more than 600 junta soldiers and
refugees fled across the India–Myanmar border, the Government of India
announced a plan to fence the entire border.
By 6 February 2024, Arakan Army captured most
remaining Myanmar Army’s bases in Minbya, almost taking full control of the
township. On the same day, the Arakan Army seized the Taung Pyo junta outpost
along the border with Bangladesh in Maungdaw Township. The Arakan Army captured
Kyauktaw the next day and continued fighting in Mrauk U and Ramree.
On February 7, the Arakan Army took control of
Minbya Township after capturing the last two military battalion headquarters in
the township. Colonel Min Min Tun, commander of the 11th Light Infantry
Division (LID-11) of the Myanmar Army, was killed during a battle at the HQ Base
of the 377th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-377) in Mrauk-U Township.
Myanmar Army abandoned Myebon to reinforce Kyaukphyu on 9 February, leaving stockpile of weapons and ammunitions behind in their rush and abandoning the southern township of Mrauk-U District. The same day, the AA took the city of Mrauk U, completing their control over the township. During the battle, three Myanmar Navy landing craft were reportedly sunk. In response to the seizure of the three towns, the junta blew up bridges in Kyauktaw Township and the state capital, Sittwe.
During an evacuation attempt by the junta from
Kyauktaw town during attacks by the Arakan Army on the same day, three naval
landing craft were sunk. This resulted in the death of 700-900 retreating junta
soldiers and their family members. According to a statement from the Arakan
Army, the rebels rescued Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, commander of the 9th
Military Operations Command, and some of his soldiers from the river.
The AA announced on 30 January that it was fighting
to oust the junta from the coastal city of Ramree in Rakhine State. The junta
had reportedly bombarded the town from the gunboats for weeks before fighting
began. 8,000 of the town's residents had been displaced due to the fighting.
The AA claimed that the regime forces used chemical weapons to defend the town,
a claim that the junta denied.
On 15 February, the Arakan Army captured Myebon and
started intensifying their assaults on Ramree (Yam-Byea). These assaults killed
around 80 junta reinforcements between 24 and 26 February. On 28 February, the
Arakan Army captured the final junta outpost in Minbya Township, taking full
control of the township.
Northern Yakhine Offensives
On 5 March, the Arakan Army reportedly captured the
town of Ponnagyun and its surrounding township. During the battle, junta
warships and fighter jets shelled the town, eventually destroying the Zay Ti
Pyin bridge connecting Ponnagyun to Rathedaung. The Arakan Army stated that it
continued assaults on Rathedaung and Buthidaung Townships.
The capture of Ponnagyun is significant as it is
only 33 kilometres northeast of the regional capital, Sittwe, and allows the
Arakan Army to threaten the city. Myanmar Army’s tactical commander Colonel Myo
Min Ko Ko and Major Saw Htwe were killed in Ponnagyung.
On 12 March, after an 85-day battle, the Arakan
Army captured the town of Ramree. In Maungdaw Township, AA also captured a
border outpost forcing 179 junta soldiers to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.
On 17 March, the Arakan Army captured the town of Rathedaung, cutting off
Sittwe from northern Rakhine State.
The AA claimed that the junta used forcibly
conscripted Rohingya people as human shields during its unsuccessful defense of
the town. On 15 April, the Arakha Army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
(ARSA) clashed in Buthidaung Township, killing 25 Rohingyas. A local reported
that the Myanmar Army and ARSA fought together against AA during the clashes.
The Arakan Army announced on 18 May that it had taken complete control of Buthidaung, capturing the last junta positions in the area. The Arakan Army said that clashes continued with junta forces and armed Rohingya groups outside the town. Twelve Rohingya civilians were reportedly killed in a junta airstrike on 17 May, and that same day the Arakan Army allegedly bombed a school with drones where Rohingya civilians were sheltering, killing 18 and wounding around 200.
Following Buthidaung's fall, large portions of the
town and outlying villages were systematically burned to the ground. Witnesses
and international organizations accused the Arakan Army of engaging in
retaliatory arson against Rohingya people, ordering them out of their homes
before burning them to the ground. The Arakan Army denied any involvement with
the attack, blaming the fires on junta shelling during the course of the battle.
On 3 May, the Arakan Army captured the headquarters
of the Border Guard Police in Maungdaw Township at Kyee Kan Pyin. The Arakan
Army began launching attacks on Maungdaw town on 21 May. The next day, the AA
claimed the capture of the No. 2 Border Guard Police Detachment near the
entrance to the city.
As of October 2024, the Arakan Army controls most
of Maungdaw town and have conducted an offensive against the No. 5 Border Guard
Police Detachment, the final Myanmar Army outpost in the township. On 5
October, it was reported that the junta accidentally killed twenty of its own
soldiers in an airstrike that struck the detachment.
Central and southern Rakhine offensives
On 16 February, following clashes with the Arakan
Army, junta forces abandoned the town of Ma Ei, destroying a bridge leading to
the town as they left. Arakan Army forces occupied the town soon after and
began landmine clearance operations.
On 24 March, the Arakan Army began an offensive on
Ann Township concurrently with their offensive on Sittwe, launching attacks on
Ann, the headquarters of the junta's Western Command.
North of Ann, the Arakan Army launched attacks on
neighbouring Ngape Township in Magway Division. Ann's location is strategically
important as the link between Rakhine and Magway via the Minbu-Ann road through
the Arakan Mountains (Yakhine-YOMA) and as a gateway preventing AA from
attacking southern Rakhine State.
On 27 March, Arakan Army forces seized a camp near
Ge Laung village, Ann Township. On 2 April, the AA announced it had captured a
portion of the Ann-Minbu Highway, cutting off Ann from neighboring Padein.
During these offensives, on 10 April, the Arakan
Army rebranded itself as the "Arakha Army" to represent all people
living in Rakhine State. On 27 April, the Arakan Army captured Taw Hein Taung
base in the hilltops of Ann township. On 26 June, locals reported that the
fighting had moved closer to the town proper since the Taw Hein Taung base had
fallen, prompting many to try and flee the fighting.
On 13 April, the Arakan Army began clashing with
junta forces along the Thandwe-Taungup highway. Intense clashes broke out on 22
April around the Tha Htay hydropower plant in northern Thandwe Township,
reportedly leading to the deaths of "dozens" of junta soldiers.
On 25 April, the Arakan Army began clashing with
junta forces near the Ngapali Beach. On 7 June, clashes broke out between the
Arakan Army and junta forces north of Thandwe, with fighting inching steadily
closer to the city over the following days.
On 26 June, the Arakan Army seized the headquarters of the junta's Battalion 566, forcing military troops to retreat to the town's airport and hotels inside the city. The Arakan Army announced they had secured the airport on 5 July. Military reinforcements brought by the regime from across Myanmar, as well as shelling from navy ships offshore, were unable to stop the Arakan Army's continued progress in its offensive.
The Arakan Army claims to have killed over 400
troops during its push to seize the city. On 15 July, the Arakan Army took
control of Thandwe Prison, a major junta strong point. In the following days,
it successfully consolidated its control over the town, pushing out remaining
junta forces.
On 15 June, the Arakan Army launched an offensive
to seize the town of Taungup. Heavy fighting broke out around Taungup
University, where a junta artillery battalion is stationed, and clashes were
reported in downtown areas as well.
Retaliatory junta airstrikes reportedly hit
civilian areas. Shelling from junta forces also damaged parts of the
university. On 18 June, the town's general administrator, as well as another
town official, were arrested by the junta while trying to flee from the
fighting to Yangon.
On 20 June, the Arakan Army ambushed a column of
junta soldiers that had been sent from central Myanmar to reinforce the town,
reportedly killing over 60 regime soldiers, including a captain. On 23 June,
two civilians were wounded after stepping on a landmine placed by junta forces.
Civilians were reportedly attempting to flee Taungup but were being turned back
by junta forces.
On 9 August, the Arakan Army advanced into the
state's southernmost township, Gwa Township. Clashes were reported around the
Chinkwin Bridge and the town of Kyeintali. On 14 August, the Arakan Army
captured the town. Narinjara News reported on 12 August that over the course of
the offensive, junta forces had destroyed 22 bridges throughout the state in
attempts to impede the Arakan Army's advances.
Spillover into Bangladesh
On 3 February 2024, as the clashes between the
Arakan Army and Myanmar Army increased in Rakhine, mortar shells and several
bullets reportedly landed in Bangladesh territory and injured some local
residents. Repeated bursts of gunfire and explosions could be heard across the
Bangladesh–Myanmar border from Ukhia, Cox's Bazar.
At least 229 Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP)
personnel entered Bangladesh through the Tumbru border point seeking refuge
from AA, where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) disarmed them and gave them
shelter in Bandarban district. On 5 February 2024, a Bangladeshi woman and a
Rohingya man died from a mortar shell that fell on the Ghumdum border in
Bandarban, reportedly fired by Myanmar.
Ethnic tensions with Rohingya (Bengali-Muslims)
Between 4 February and 6 February, the Arakan Army
launched attacks on Rakhine Border Guard Police (BGP) outposts in Maungdaw
Township. The Arakan Army later alleged that the Rohingya ethnic armed
organisations (EAOs) Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya
Solidarity Organisation (RSO) fought alongside the Rakhine BGP.
On 6 February the Arakan Army and the RSO
cooperated on a joint assault against the ARSA, who had captured a BGP camp
along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Two days later, the RSO denounced AA's
accusations and the AA labeling them as "Bengalis" among other
issues. Some time in March, a Rohingya man was shot in Sittwe. After the Arakan
Army was blamed, it was found that the shooting was committed by the Arakan
Liberation Army (ALA), working as a proxy of the junta to stir ethnic tensions.
In late February, despite the conscription law only
applying to citizens, the military junta reportedly began to conscript
displaced Rohingyas living in Kyaukphyu. On 6 March, in response to this junta
recruitment, the AA urged Rohingya people to flee into AA-controlled areas
despite the tense relations between the AA and Rohingya EAOs.
In Buthidaung, ARSA was allegedly training Rohingya
people for the junta. Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition,
stated that at least 1,000 people from the Rohingya community being taken by
the military from Buthidaung, Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, and dozens have been killed
while being used as human shields in Rathedaung Township.
On April 15th, the Arakan Army clashed with the
ARSA in Buthidaung, resulting in 25 Rohingya deaths and 3,000 fleeing. ARSA and
ARA (Arakan Rohingya Army) reportedly fought with the Myanmar Army and they
burnt down homes and kidnapped civilians.
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| AA Commander-in-Chief Htun Myat Naing |
AA Collects Taxes and Polices Streets in Rakhine State
The rebel Arakan Army has set up civil
administrations in parts of western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, collecting taxes
and arresting illegal drug users — making good on a pledge to provide
governance to underpin the ethnic Rakhine autonomy the armed group has been
fighting for.
The predominantly Buddhist ethnic army has been at
war with Myanmar Army in northern Rakhine state and in Paletwa township of
neighboring Chin state for 19 months. It is the newest of many conflicts the
national army has been waging with ethnic armies since the former Burma became
independent from Britain in 1948.
The AA set up shop in 2009 in Laiza, northern
Myanmar’s Kachin state, and five years later declared its long-term intention
of returning to its Rakhine homeland and establishing its own government in the
state.
In December 2019, AA leaders announced the
formation of a Rakhine People’s Authority to levy taxes on businesses to fund
the army's operations and that of its political wing, the United League of
Arakan (ULA), as well as to administer areas under its control in Rakhine
state. The AA is estimated to have 9,000 fighters.
At the time, AA spokesman Khine Thukha told RFA
that the formation of the authority was legitimate because it would initiate a
new form of government in a bid to reestablish the historic Arakan nation that
existed centuries earlier.
“This body has an obvious revenue-generation
function, but its creation is probably more important as a demonstration of the
group’s de facto authority and territorial control and assertion of its
legitimacy,” said a report on armed conflict and politics in Rakhine state
issued in June by the International Crisis Group. “Armed groups in other major
conflicts in Myanmar over the decades have taken similar steps,” the report
said.
Branded an illegal organization and terrorist group
by the Myanmar government in March, the AA demanded on May 29 that all
government administrative offices and the national military immediately leave
northern Rakhine state.
Out of seventeen townships in Arakan eleven townships are
already liberated and occupied by the AA (Arakan Army). ULA (United League of
Arakan) the political-front of AA has started administering those townships and
the AA Commander-in-Chief Htun Myat Naing recently stated in his interview with
The Diplomat that his ULA/AA will reestablish Arakan as a Unitary State
separate from the rest of Burma.
