The Arakan Army, an ethnic rebel group in Burma, claimed to have taken hundreds of government soldiers prisoner after seizing Operational Command No. 15 headquarters in Buthidaung. This group has been making significant advances against the military-run government led by Min Aung Hlaing, who took power in a successful 2021 coup that ousted the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Operating in the western state of Rakhine, the Arakan Army has been on the offensive against army outposts for about six months.
The reported capture of the base in Buthidaung could not be independently confirmed, and Burma’s military government has not made any immediate comments. The Arakan Army claimed that soldiers surrendered after a siege, and released a video showing men in military uniforms and civilian clothes accompanied by women and children who are families of the soldiers. In a statement, the Arakan Army said they captured the command post after attacking it for two weeks and also seized other army posts over the past two months.
The capture of soldiers, weapons, ammunition, and military equipment by the Arakan Army is part of the wider conflict in Burma that started after the military coup in February 2021. Despite the army’s superior arms and manpower, it has been on the defensive since an alliance of ethnic rebel groups launched an offensive in October. The Arakan Army’s success in capturing strategic territory in the northeast bordering China is seen as a major defeat for the military government and has boosted morale among ethnic minorities and the pro-democracy resistance.
The video released by the Arakan Army, which was described as being made on Saturday, shows young men who appear to be members of the Muslim Rohingya minority, who have been targeted by Burma’s military in the past. The Arakan Army and the Rohingya are now uneasy allies in opposition to the military government. The Arakan Army, seeking autonomy from the central government, is part of an alliance of ethnic minority armies that have gained territory through an offensive in the northeast.
In a statement released by the Arakan Army on Sunday, they claimed to have captured Sumprabum, a township in the northern state of Kachin. The Kachin Independence Army, another major ethnic armed group, has also been making gains against the military government. The Arakan Army’s success and the capture of government soldiers highlight the ongoing conflict in Burma between ethnic rebel groups and the military-run government led by Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a coup in 2021. The capture of key strategic areas and the seizing of prisoners of war by the Arakan Army demonstrate the continued resistance against the military junta in Burma.
