Arakan Army

Arakha Army
Arakha Army
အာရက္ခတပ်တော်
Leaders	Twan Mrat Naing; Nyo Twan Awng
Spokesperson	Khine Thu Kha
Dates of operation	10 April 2009 – present
Headquarters	Laiza, Kachin State (currently); Mrauk-U, Rakhine State (planned)
Active regions	Chin State,; Kachin State,; Magway Region,; Rakhine State,; Sagaing Region,; Shan State,; Bangladesh–Myanmar border; China–Myanmar border
Ideology	Arakanese nationalism; Arakanese self-determination; Confederalism
Status	Active
Size	38,000+ (self-claimed in February 2024) ; 15,000+ in Chin and Rakhine State, around 1500 in Kachin and Shan State (estimated in February 2024)
Part of	United League of Arakan;
Allies	Northern Alliance Kachin Independence Army; Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army; Ta'ang National Liberation Army; Other allies: All Burma Students' Democratic Front; Bamar People's Liberation Army; Chin National Army; Chinland Defense Force; Karen National Liberation Army; Karenni Nationalities Defence Force; People's Defence Force; People's Liberation Army; People's Revolution Alliance (Magway); Student Armed Force; United Wa State Army;
Opponents	State opponents:; Myanmar; Tatmadaw Myanmar Army; ; Myanmar Police Force Border Guard Police; ; India; Non-state opponents:; Arakan Liberation Army; Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army;
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Kachin conflict; 2015 Kokang offensive; 2015 Bangladesh–Arakan Army border clash; 2016 Muse offensive; 2019–2021 Northern Rakhine State clashes; Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Clashes in Chin State; Operation 1027; Rakhine Offensive (2023-present); ;
Flag
Website	www.arakanarmy.net

The Arakan Army (Rakhine: ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော်), officially the Arakha Army (Rakhine: အာရက္ခတပ်တော်, romanized: Araka Tatdaw; abbreviated AA) is an ethnic armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded on 10 April 2009, the AA is the military wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA). It is currently led by Commander-in-Chief Major General Twan Mrat Naing and vice deputy commander-in-chief Brigadier General Nyo Twan Awng. The Arakan Army states that the objective of its armed revolution is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan people. In a February 2024 interview, Twan Mrat Naing claimed that the AA had grown to at least 38,000 troops. Anthony Davis, an expert of military and security, rejected this claim and estimated that it has at least 15,000 troops in Chin State and Rakhine State, in addition to around 1500 in Kachin State and Shan State. In the early 2010s, the Arakan Army fought alongside the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) against the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in the Kachin conflict. Following the 2016 outbreak of conflict in Rakhine state, AA became more heavily involved in the Arakan region. In 2019, AA would launch attacks on state security forces and the Myanmar Army would respond heightening clashes. The AA reached a ceasefire in late 2020 after eroding the central government's control in northern Rakhine. The power vacuum would be filled by the AA over the next 18 months with state-building efforts, like their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.

During the Myanmar civil war, the ceasefire would break down and armed clashes resumed in July 2022 after a Tatmadaw airstrike against an AA base. The two sides would agree to a temporary ceasefire in November 2022, reportedly for humanitarian reasons.

On April 10, 2024, AA changed its name to Arakha Army; spokesperson, U Khaing Thu Kha, claims "Arakha" represents everyone living in Rakhine State, regardless of background.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.