Is Myanmar's Arakan Army getting 'fertilizer and water' from India and Bangladesh?

In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi's government was overthrown by a military coup in 2021. Since then, many rebel groups have taken up arms against the military junta government and the situation in Myanmar has remained tense since then. This is also affecting the neighboring countries India and Bangladesh because, in case of escalation of conflict in Myanmar, thousands of Rohingyas flee and reach these two neighbouring countries.

Many ethnic groups are involved in the ongoing conflict in this neighboring country of India, one of them is the Arakan Army. Members of Myanmar's Rakhine community formed the Arakan Army in 2009. Which, along with Myanmar's Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched a movement against the military government in November last year. The special thing is that the Arakan Army is moving ahead rapidly and now the military government of Myanmar is also facing the threat of a coup.

Meanwhile, 'The Diplomat' has claimed in a report that essential goods from India and Bangladesh are reaching the Arakan region (Rakhine State) through smuggling, which are proving to be a 'life-line' for the people here and the Arakan Army.

Smuggling through river route in Arakan

Every afternoon, about two dozen people gather on the banks of the Kaladan River in Paletwa township in Myanmar's Chin state. They watch all the boats coming from the Indian border, most of them headed for different towns in the neighbouring Rakhine state.

When the loaded boats dock at the river bank, a crowd of shopkeepers and traders, mostly dependent on smuggled goods from Mizoram in India, rush towards the boats and the goods are loaded onto a few vehicles and motorcycles, which then transport them to other areas around the city.

The junta government stopped the supply chain

Like Paletwa in southern Chin state, people in Rakhine state are dependent on smuggled goods from neighbouring India and Bangladesh as Myanmar's junta government has disrupted the main supply chains to these areas. In Arakan, which is the area controlled by the Arakan Army in Rakhine and southern Chin states, transport of goods is mainly done by boat due to lack of vehicles and proper roads.

Why does Arakan need smuggling?

Myanmar's military government has adopted a new tactic to crush the rebellion. The administration has disrupted the supply chain to prevent the access of essential goods, including food items, to rebel groups and the areas controlled by them.

Since the Arakan Army started attacks against the military government on 13 November last year, the junta administration has adopted a strategy to stop the supply chain in the Arakan region as well. In the current conflict in Myanmar, the Arakan Army is making rapid progress, it has captured more than half of Rakhine State, about 17 townships. After this, the junta government has closed the supply route of the mainland and the southern region of Rakhine State.

Due to this, the people living in these areas and the Arakan Army are forced to depend mainly on cargo boats coming from India and Bangladesh.

From biscuits to medicines, everything is smuggled

However, compared to the mountainous regions of Myanmar, the Arakan region is rich in arable land due to the climate and availability of good amount of water. Due to which this region is able to produce sufficient quantity of rice.

The political wing of the Arakan Army, the United League of Arakan (ULA), takes care of the transportation of essential commodities in the region. ULA's political commissioner Kyao Jo O told 'The Diplomat' that along with rice, vegetables are also grown in sufficient quantities in Arakan. Due to which such commodities are not exported from other regions. He said that till now Rakhine State is not dependent on any other region for rice, vegetables, fish, salt and sugar.

However, apart from these things, almost every item is very important in more or less quantity. He told that cooking oil, biscuits, soap, washing detergent, utensils, flour, clothes and batteries are smuggled from India and Bangladesh through the river and land route passing through this area. These goods are sold in 7 townships including Paletwa, Ponnagyun, Minbya.

Arakan Army and ULA personnel, as well as some shopkeepers in the area, said that the region is mainly dependent on India and Bangladesh for petrol-diesel and medicines, as the junta administration has taken several strict measures to block access of these two items to the Arakan areas.