Territory of the Arakan Army
Territory of the Arakan Army | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Territories under Arakan Army as of August 2026 | |
| Status | Quasi-state[1][2][3] and Rival government[4] |
| Official languages | Arakanese |
| Government | Civil administration (APRG)[5] |
| Twan Mrat Naing | |
| Nyo Twan Awng | |
| Khaing Thu Kha | |
| Twan Morn Naing | |
| History | |
• Established | 2015[6][7][8] |
The Territory of the Arakan Army refers to the areas controlled and administered by the Arakan Army, a rebel group based in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Between 2023 and 2024, the group significantly gained control of 90% of the territories in Rakhine State during the Rakhine offensive in Myanmar civil war (2021–present).
Background
Arakan, officially known as Rakhine State, is located along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in western Myanmar. Since the Myanmar Civil War, which escalated due to the coup d'état in 2021, the AA has launched offensives to capture the entire Rakhine State under its control. Rakhine State has experienced long political, social, and economic challenges. Since 2017, the region has received international attention because of the Rohingya crisis and the growing influence of Arakan Army (AA).[9][10]
On 10 April 2009, the Arakan Army was founded with its temporary headquarters in Laiza, Kachin State, which was at the time and currently is under the control of the Kachin Independence Army.[11]
The political objective of the AA is to establish an "Arakan Nation" through the "Way of Rakhita", an ideology in restoring sovereignty to the people of Arakan. The AA began its conflict with the military in northern Rakhine State in 2015. Fighting intensified in late 2018 and continued until the first week of November 2020, three months before the military coup. Major-General Twan Mrat Naing, the leader of the AA, has stated his preference for a "confederation status" for the region.[10]
Territorial development
The Arakan Army has begun its offensive on November 13, 2023. Seventeen days after the launch of Operation 1027 by the Northern Brotherhood Alliance, the AA began its own counter-offensive.
After the February 2021 coup, the Arakan Army discouraged residents of Rakhine State from joining the nationwide anti-regime movement, instead, it expanded its armed capabilities. Since November 2023, the AA has launched attacks on military positions in Rakhine State. It quickly took control of dozens of military, police, and Border Guard Police outposts in northern Rakhine. However, it also faced early setbacks, including a withdrawal from Pauktaw town shortly after claiming control. Between early 2024 and the end of the year, the townships Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon, Pauktaw, and Ponnagyun fell under the AA.[3]
As of late 2024, the AA has reportedly taken control of 15 townships[a] and held control over more than 90% of Rakhine territory. After advancing across Rakhine, it has also spread into southern Chin, Magway, Bago, and Ayeyarwady regions.[12]
Since mid-2025, the armed group has claimed control of the following townships:[13]
| Township | Date Captured |
|---|---|
| Paletwa | 14 Jan 2024 |
| Pauktaw | 19 Jan 2024 |
| Mrauk-U | 8 Feb 2024 |
| Kyauktaw | 13 Feb 2024 |
| Myebon | 15 Feb 2024 |
| Ponnagyun | 4 Mar 2024 |
| Ramree | 11 Mar 2024 |
| Rathedaung | 17 Mar 2024 |
| Buthidaung | 18 May 2024 |
| Thandwe | 5 Sep 2024 |
| Taungup | 4 Dec 2024 |
| Maungdaw | 8 Dec 2024 |
| Ann | 20 Dec 2024 |
| Gwa | 29 Dec 2024 |
| Munbya | 26 Feb 2025 |
Governance
In 2019, the Arakan Army established the Arakan People's Revolutionary Government (APRG), back then called the Arakan People's Authority. The duty of the APRG is to govern the territory of the Arakan Army. The APRG controls various departments formed by the government under AA such as the Arakkha People's Public Health Department and Arakkha Education Department.[14][15]
The ULA/AA's top decision-making system is mainly controlled by the five senior leaders who hold main positions in both the ULA/AA. For governance, the ULA/AA divides its controlled areas into three main military regions called Alpha, Victor, and Nova. Each of these regions is further divided into three or four smaller units. On the administrative side, it uses the same 17 townships as the Myanmar central government in Rakhine State, and it also includes Paletwa in southern Chin State as an administrative area. The ULA/AA runs hospitals, educational institutions, and clinics. In 2022, it created the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office to manage aid and development assistance. According to reports, there is a lack of technical skills and trained staff due to long years of underdevelopment and weak governance in Rakhine State. Aid organisations report that the ULA/AA's system for approving humanitarian and development work is weak, with inconsistent information flow that can delay or disrupt aid operations.[16][17]
Economy
Rakhine State is one of the poorest regions in Myanmar due to neglection from the state government. After AA start governing the area, it has included taxing local people and businesses. It has also tried to extracting natural resources such as minerals and timber, and collecting fees from informal border trade routes with neighboring countries. Some groups are also involved in illegal activities like drug production, money laundering, and cyber-scam operations.[3] In March 2026 the AA began to advocate for more economic regulation, taxing cargo routes and restricting medicine imports.[18] On 7 April 2026, the AA imposed a 50 percent import tax on beverages.[19]
Foreign Affairs
The Republic of Bangladesh has pragmatic relations with the Arakan Army, in the time were the AA detained Bangladeshi fishermen, which were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh though official documentation and coordination.[20] The AA reportedly has a representative office in Mizoram State of India.[21]
Human rights
Allegations have been made that minorities such as Rohingyas, Hindu, Mro and Kamein under AA territory are subjected to conscription and forced labor.[22][23]
On 2 May 2024, it was alleged that the AA massacred civilians of the minority ethnic group Rohingya people after they captured Htan Shauk Khan village in the Buthidaung Township.[24][25] The armed group has been further accused of serious war crimes.[26]
See also
Notes
- ↑ The AA has captured 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine State. Additionally, it has captured the Paletwa Township of Chin State, totaling 15 townships under its control.
References
- ↑ "Sage Journals: Discover world-class research". Sage Journals. doi:10.1177/18681034241256369.
- ↑ FOUNDATION, OBSERVER RESEARCH. "From Insurgent to Stakeholder: The Arakan Army's Expanding Role". orfonline.org.
- 1 2 3 "Breaking Away: The Battle for Myanmar's Rakhine State | International Crisis Group". www.crisisgroup.org. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "From state to nation: The Arakan Army's ascent in post-coup Myanmar | ACLED". acleddata.com. 23 April 2026.
- ↑ Asia, Radio Free (20 July 2020). "Arakan Army Collects Taxes, Polices Streets in Parts of Myanmar's War-Torn Rakhine State". www.ecoi.net.
- ↑ "5 Factors That Catapulted Arakan Army to Unprecedented Success Against the Myanmar Military". thediplomat.com.
- ↑ "The Arakan Army's Role in Myanmar's Political Landscape and Prospects for Development – Human Development Forum Foundation".
- ↑ "Arakan Army attack Border Guard Bangladesh patrol". Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ↑ Gurung, Shakti (11 September 2025). "Myanmar's Operation 1027: Arakan Army's rise and the shifting geopolitics of Rakhine". Frontline. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- 1 2 "The Arakan Army's Journey: From Rebels to Rulers and A New Arakan Paradigm". arakanstudies.org. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "AA (Kachin Region)". mmpeacemonitor.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ↑ "Forging Rebel Alliances: How Arakan Army Expanded Across Myanmar". www.arakanstudies.org. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Arakan Army (AA) seizes 15 townships during 2-year war; fighting continues". www.narinjara.com. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ MPM (4 May 2025). "AA bolsters civil service to rebuild Arakan State » Myanmar Peace Monitor". Myanmar Peace Monitor. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ Martin, Michael (20 February 2025). "Arakan Army Posed to "Liberate" Myanmar's Rakhine State" – via www.csis.org.
- ↑ "Decentralisation by Force: The United League of Arakan/ Arakan Army's Expansion in Western Myanmar". ANU Myanmar Research Centre. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "အာရက္ခပြည်တော်သစ်နှင့် အုပ်ချုပ်ရေး ယန္တရား". Development Media Group (in mm-MM). Archived from the original on 20 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ↑ "Monthly Report|March 2026". arakanstudies.org.
- ↑ "Monthly Report|April 2026". arakanstudies.org.
- ↑ Oo, Aung Marm (5 March 2026). "Guest Column | Bangladesh's Pragmatic Engagement With Arakan Army Gives Hope for Future".
- ↑ ဗညားအောင် (27 May 2025). "သူ့အတွေး သူ့အမြင် | ရခိုင်စစ်ရေးအောင်ပွဲနှင့် နိုင်ငံရေးအရွေ့များ". ဧရာဝတီ. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Arakan Army denies Rohingya forced labour". www.thenewhumanitarian.org. 2 September 2025.
- ↑ "Myanmar: Arakan Army Subjecting Ethnic Minorities to Forced Labor". Fortify Rights. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ↑ "International Criminal Court: Expand Investigation to Include Arakan Army Massacre of Rohingya in Hoyyar Siri". 9 April 2026.
- ↑ Ürgen, Ekin (18 May 2026). ""Skeletons and Skulls Scattered Everywhere"". Human Rights Watch – via Human Rights Watch.
- ↑ "Arakan Army's actions amount to war crimes: HRW | The Daily Star". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 6 June 2026.