Burma-Myanmar: Arakan Army and its allies set to resume fight against Burmese army over civilian killings
The Arakan Army (AA) and its two partner ethnic armed groups in the Brotherhood Alliance said they are ready to join forces with all ethnic people in fighting against the Myanmar military regime if its brutal killing of anti-coup protesters continues.
The tripartite Brotherhood Alliance, which groups the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA); Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA); and the AA, condemned the military junta on Monday after the civilian death toll from its lethal crackdown on anti-regime protesters rose to at least 510 nationwide.
Fighting for greater autonomy in Rakhine State in the country’s west, the AA has become one of the most formidable forces taking on the Myanmar military over the past two years. Fighting between the AA and the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) intensified steadily from November 2018 to early November 2020. The conflict caused hundreds of civilian fatalities and left more than 200,000 residents displaced. The regime recently removed the AA from its list of “terrorist” groups after fighting between the two sides paused in November.
AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha told The Irrawaddy it is time for ethnic organizations to join hands to protect oppressed civilians from the military regime. “We must do our best to protect the lives and property of the oppressed people,” he said.