Arakan Army in Myanmar’s Rakhine state

India must leverage the cross-border ethno-cultural ties to secure its projects in the state.

Since December 2024, the Arakan Army (AA) has been entrenching itself in the Rakhine state after the fall of the Western Regional Military Command at Ann Township in central Rakhine. As the military arm of the United League of Arakan (ULA), a Buddhist front, the AA’s military victory is remarkable among the rebel groups fighting the Myanmar Army. After taking control of Maungdaw township, the army was able to completely control Myanmar’s 270-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh.