The armed rebel group Arakan Army (AA) has claimed control over Myanmar’s Maungdaw town, located near the Bangladesh border. After months of fighting with Myanmar’s military, the group has reportedly taken over the town.
As a result, the entire 270-kilometer Bangladesh-Myanmar border is now under the control of the Arakan Army, according to a report by Myanmar-based news outlet The Irrawaddy on Monday (December 9).
The report states that on Sunday, the Arakan Army seized Maungdaw, gaining full control of the 270-kilometer-long border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The group announced that they captured the last remaining junta border outpost, Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5, located outside Maungdaw, after several months of fighting on Sunday morning.
Earlier on Sunday, the Arakan Army stated that while seizing the outpost, they launched attacks on the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) along with their allied Rohingya militias.
Rakhine media reported on Monday that following the battle in Maungdaw, the Arakan Army captured around 80 Rohingya insurgents, government soldiers, and Brigadier General Thurein Tun, the commander of Military Operation Command 15.
The Arakan Army launched its assault on Maungdaw in late May, taking six months to gain full control of the border town.
The Irrawaddy reports that the Arakan Army now claims control over three Myanmar towns bordering Bangladesh: Maungdaw and Buthidaung in Rakhine State, and Paletwa in Chin State, the latter of which also shares a border with India.
A military analyst monitoring the conflict in Rakhine stated that resuming trade with Bangladesh could alleviate the hardships faced by people in this western province. The junta has blocked roads and waterways leading to the region, hindering the delivery of international humanitarian aid, food, fuel, and medicine.
The analyst further suggested that if the Bangladeshi government wants to resolve the complex Rohingya issue in Rakhine State, it must engage in meaningful dialogue with the ethnic armed forces, including the Arakan Army.
The Arakan Army is reportedly now fighting to gain control over southern Rakhine towns such as Gwa, Taungup, and Ann, according to The Irrawaddy.