What is the Arakan Army that is giving sleepless nights to Bangladesh? It has given tension to India.
The Arakan Army has given sleepless nights to the Yunus government of Bangladesh. This organization has captured some parts of the Teknaf region. Myanmar's militant organization Arakan Army (AA) has also given tension in India earlier.
Various rebel groups are active in Myanmar after the coup in 2021. Arakan Army is also among those who have taken up the fight against the army. Arakan Army has a stronghold in Myanmar's Rakhine and Chin provinces.
Know the Arakan Army (AA)
The Arakan Army was formed in 2009 by members of the Rakhine community in Myanmar, led by former student activist Twan Mrat Naing. He sought refuge with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Myanmar.
The Arakan Army first recruited men working in the jade mines of Kachin province. Before infiltrating Rakhine, they gained experience fighting against the Myanmar Army alongside the KIA and other militant groups in Shan province.
The Arakan Army claims that it has more than 30 thousand fighters, although according to independent analysts the number of its fighters could be around 20 thousand.
What is the Arakan Army doing in Myanmar?
When the army overthrew the Aung San Suu Kyi government in February 2021, the Arakan Army condemned it but did not immediately take up arms. After this, for about 2 years, the Arakan Army started making its administrative inroads through the political wing. The United League of Arakan (ULA) ran a vaccination campaign in Myanmar during the Corona epidemic.
In November 2023, the Arakan Army, as part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched a large-scale offensive against the army along with insurgent groups from Shan State. Within a few months, the Arakan Army captured key military bases in Rakhine and Chin States.
About 80 percent of Myanmar's Rakhine State is occupied by the Arakan Army and this area is also strategically important for India. Myanmar's military government junta has lost control of about 270 kilometers of border area separating Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Arakan Army has given tension to India as well
Earlier in January, it captured the Paletwa city of Chin province, which is considered important for the Myanmar army. It is located close to the India-Bangladesh border and there are projects worth millions of dollars going on in this city which India supports. Through these projects, better connectivity can be established between the areas of India and Myanmar.
Apart from this, there is a 510 km border between Myanmar's Chin province and India's Mizoram. When there is a clash between the army and the rebels in this region of Myanmar, a large number of refugees take refuge in Mizoram. 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, so the increasing conflict in this region also increases India's concerns.