The Arakan Army, a significant ethnic rebel group in Burma, declared that they had taken hundreds of government soldiers prisoner after seizing Operational Command No. 15 headquarters in Buthidaung. The rebel forces have been making progress against the military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since the 2021 coup that removed democratically-elected State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi from office. The Arakan Army, comprising well-trained and well-armed Rakhine ethnic minority members, has been attacking army outposts in Rakhine for about six months, with the recent capture of the command post marking a major advancement.
The reported capture of the command post in Buthidaung could not be confirmed independently, as there was no immediate response from the Burmese military government or the Arakan Army spokesperson. The conflict in Rakhine is part of the larger nationwide turmoil that began after the military coup in 2021, which stifled protests calling for a return to democratic governance. Despite the military’s advantages in arms and manpower, it has been on the defensive since an alliance of ethnic rebel groups launched an offensive in the northeast in October.
A video released by the Arakan Army showed soldiers in military uniforms and civilians, some injured, being escorted by fighters as they walked through a field and down a roadside. The video depicted the deputy commander of the group and his troops after a supposed surrender following a final assault. The total number of captured soldiers and their family members was not specified, but the video showed about 300 men sitting in rows in an open field. The Arakan Army claimed the capture of the command post after a two-week attack and seized another army post the following day, along with others over the past two months, acquiring weapons, ammunition, military equipment, and prisoners of war.
Some of the individuals in the video appeared to be members of the Muslim Rohingya minority, who have been forcibly conscripted into the army by the Burmese military in Rakhine. The Rohingya population was previously subjected to a violent counterinsurgency campaign, leading to mass displacement and human rights abuses. Despite past conflicts between ethnic Rakhine nationalists and the Rohingya, the Arakan Army and Rohingya are now working together as allies in opposition to the military government. The Arakan Army, alongside an alliance of ethnic minority armies, launched an offensive in October that saw significant gains in strategic territory in Burma’s northeast, bordering China.
The success of the Arakan Army and other ethnic armed groups have been viewed as a major setback for the military government, boosting morale among ethnic minorities and pro-democracy activists. In a separate development, the Kachin Independence Army claimed to have captured Sumprabum, a township in Kachin state in northern Burma, further demonstrating the growing resistance against the military junta. The ongoing conflict in Burma continues to pose challenges for the military government, as ethnic rebel groups and pro-democracy forces persist in their fight against the authoritarian regime.
