ALBAWABA - In the face of mounting losses to armed opposition groups, the Arakan Army, an armed resistance organization in Myanmar, has taken control of a key military headquarters in the west of the nation, becoming the second major regional command to lose control from the military junta.
After two weeks of intense battle, the Arakan Army said in a statement issued late Friday that its soldiers had taken control of the Western Military Command in Rakhine State, close to the Bangladeshi border.
Since the military toppled a democratically elected government in February 2021, causing widespread demonstrations that turned into an armed uprising against the junta's control, Myanmar has been engulfed in turmoil.
In October 2023, a concerted operation by anti-junta forces, including the Arakan Army, was begun. Particularly near Myanmar's border with China, this coalition has won a number of significant wins. Additionally, the organization has positioned itself as an advocate for the Rohingya Muslim minority, who have been subjected to years of brutality and persecution by the Myanmar military.
After a ceasefire deal between the Arakan Army and the military junta collapsed in November, violence erupted again in Rakhine State, which is also home to the Rohingya Muslim minority. The organization has since claimed a number of successes, including the capture of the Western Military Command.
This comes after a historic victory in August when the anti-junta alliance took control of the city of Lashio in northeastern Myanmar, which was the country's first-ever seizure of a regional military command.
The collapse of the Western Military Command highlights the junta's growing difficulties as opposition forces are making progress in several areas. With major ramifications for the political and humanitarian landscape of the nation, the situation in Myanmar is still unstable.
