Arakan Rohingya Army
| Arakan Rohingya Army | |
|---|---|
Leaders | Nabi Hossain[1][2] Abdullah Kane[3] |
| Dates active | 2020–present[4] |
| Active regions | |
| Ideology | |
| Size | Approximately 30[6] |
The Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) is an ethnic Rohingya insurgent group founded by Nabi Hossain.[7]
Formation
Formed in September 2020, ARA claimed that its fighters were based in Rakhine State and that it promised equal rights for everyone.[4] Its leaders, Nabi Hossain and Abdullah Kane, are wanted by Bangladeshi authorities for drug smuggling and mafia-like activities.[8][9][2][1][10]
Conflict
The group started fighting against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army after peace activist, Mohib Ullah, was allegedly killed by the latter group on 29 September 2021.[2]
On 6 February 2024 the Arakan Army and the RSO cooperated on a joint assault against ARA, who had captured a Border Guard Police camp along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border during the Rakhine Offensive.[1] During the month of April, ARSA and ARA reportedly fought with the Tatmadaw against AA in Buthidaung, where they burnt down homes and kidnapped civilians.[11] According to statements from both AA and Rohingya refugees, ARA forcibly recruits young men to fight with the Myanmar military.[12][13]
On 30 August 2024, Nabi Hossain was arrested by the Armed Police Battalion.[14]
In 2025, Nabi Hossain was released on bail and subsequently went into hiding.[15] ARA later clashed with AA from 11-13 January 2026 before fleeing to Bangladesh.[16][17]
On 5 May, 2026, the brother of Nabi Hossain, Mohammad Kamal, was shot dead by allegedly 12-13 members of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation while he was returning from prayers at a mosque.[18] Simultaneously, Kefayet Ullah Halim (the reported leader of ARA's former political wing, ARO [Arakan Rohingya Organisation]) was assassinated by gunmen; the killing was allegedly carried out by ARSA.[18][19][20]
References
- 1 2 3 Bangladeshis fret over unconfirmed return of Rohingya militant Nabi Hossain amid Myanmar conflict. February 9, 2024. Bdnews24.com. Archived February 28, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- 1 2 3 Is Nabi Hossain main perpetrator behind violence at Rohingya camp?. March 8, 2023. Prothom Alo. Archived March 9, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ A New Dimension to Armed Conflicts in Arakan?. Transnational Institute. September 20, 2023. Naing Lin Archived April 23, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- 1 2 Rohingya rights: New armed group ARA emerges in Rakhine. September 6, 2020. Dhaka Tribune.
- ↑ "Breaking Away: The Battle for Myanmar's Rakhine State" (PDF). International Crisis Group.
- ↑ Unravelling the Maungdaw Exodus: new report sheds light on factors driving large-scale Rohingya displacement in Maungdaw Kaladan Press. December 17, 2024. Archived December 18, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Competing armed groups pose new threat to Rohingya in Bangladesh International Institute for Strategic Studies. December 11, 2023
- ↑ Rohingya Armed Groups Active Again in Western Myanmar. September 20, 2021. The Irrawaddy. Archived September 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Gang-related crimes rampant in Rohingya camps. Bangla Tribune. August 26, 2019. Nuruzzaman Labu Archived August 26, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Case filed against 23 armed Myanmar nationals who fled to Bangladesh. Dhaka Tribune. February 9, 2024.
- ↑ Myanmar Junta Using Rohingya Recruits to Sow Ethnic Hatred: Activists. Brian Wei. The Irrawaddy. April 19, 2024. Archived April 19, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Rohingya Forced to Fight Alongside Myanmar Army Tormentors. Agence France-Presse. May 29, 2024. Archived May 29, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 194 organisations say Rohingya must no longer be exploited for military and political gain. Mizzima. May 23, 2024. Archived June 1, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Rohingya smuggler Nabi Hossain arrested. Dhaka Tribune. September 1, 2024 Abdul Aziz
- ↑ Rohingya militant Nabi Hossain warns of 'action' against smugglers. December 18, 2025. Dhaka Stream.
- ↑ နတ်မြစ်ကျီးကျွန်းတိုက်ပွဲ ARA အပါအဝင် အကြမ်းအဖွဲ့ဝင် အနည်းဆုံး ၁၅၀ ကျော်သေဆုံးဟုဆို. January 12, 2026. Narinjara News.
- ↑ টেকনাফে সাবেক ইউপি সদস্য আটক, বাড়ি থেকে রোহিঙ্গা সশস্ত্র গোষ্ঠীর সরঞ্জাম উদ্ধার. January 17, 2026. Kaler Kantho.
- 1 2 "Rohingya man shot dead in Cox's Bazar camp". www.thedailystar.net. The Daily Star. 2026-05-06. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Rohingya man killed in shooting at Ukhiya camp". www.newagebd.net. New Age Bangladesh. 2026-05-07. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ↑ "အာရ်ကာန်ရိုဟင်ဂျာ တပ်တော် (ARA)နှင့် ပူးပေါင်းပါဝင်ရန် ဖိတ်ကြားခြင်း" [Invitation To Join Arakan Rohingya Army]. www.arkanrohingyaorganisation.com (in Burmese). Arakan Rohingya Organisation. 2025-02-19. Archived from the original on 2026-05-08. Retrieved 2026-05-08.