In November 2023, the Arakan Army, as part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched a large-scale offensive against the army in conjunction with rebel groups in Shan State. Within a few months, the Arakan Army captured key military bases in Rakhine and Chin states. The areas occupied by Arakan Army are also strategically important for India.
The Arakan Army has defeated the Yunus government of Bangladesh, with the organization capturing parts of the Teknaf region. Myanmar’s militant organization Arakan Army (AA) is already a cause of concern in India as well.
Various rebel groups have been active in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. Arakan Army is also included among those taking up the front against the army. Arakan Army has a strong hold in provinces like Rakhine of Myanmar and China.
Know about Arakan Army (AA).
The Arakan Army was formed in 2009 by members of the Rakhine community in Myanmar, led by former student activist Twan Murat Naing. He took refuge in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Myanmar.
The Arakan Army first included people working in the jade mines of Kachin province into its organization. Before infiltrating Rakhine, he gained experience fighting the Myanmar military along with the KIA and other terrorist groups in Shan State.
Arakan Army claims that it has more than 30 thousand fighters, although according to independent analysts, its number of fighters could be around 20 thousand.
What is Arakan Army doing in Myanmar?
When the military overthrew the government of Aung Suu Kyi in February 2021, the Arakan Army condemned it, but did not immediately take up arms. After this, for about 2 years, Arakan Army started making its administrative inroads through the political wing. The United League of Arakan (ULA) conducted a vaccination campaign in Myanmar during the Corona pandemic.
In November 2023, the Arakan Army, as part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched a large-scale offensive against the army in conjunction with rebel groups in Shan State. Within a few months, the Arakan Army captured key military bases in Rakhine and Chin State.
The Arakan Army controls about 80 percent of Myanmar’s Rakhine state and the region is also strategically important for India. Myanmar’s military government junta has lost control of the nearly 270-kilometre border separating Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Arakan Army also increased India’s concern
In early January, it captured the city of Paletwa in Chin state, which is vital to the Myanmar army, lies near the India-Bangladesh border and is home to millions of dollars of projects that India supports. Through these projects, better connectivity can be established between the areas of India and Myanmar.
Apart from this, there is a border of 510 kilometers between Chin province of Myanmar and Mizoram of India. A large number of refugees take refuge in Mizoram when there is a clash between the army and rebels in this part of Myanmar. According to the data of March 2022, more than 31 thousand refugees from Myanmar were living in Mizoram and all of them came from Chin province, hence the increasing conflict in the region also increases India’s concern.