Casualties were reported after a clash broke out between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) near Mee Taik village in Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township at about 2 p.m. on Friday, according to U Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the ethnic armed group.
The fighting erupted on a hill northeast of Mee Taik village and a battle ensued when the military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 352 stormed an area controlled by the Arakan Army and opened fire, he told DMG.
“The Myanmar military column stormed an area where Arakan Army troops were stationed, shot dead an AA fighter and the fighting lasted about 46 minutes. The Myanmar military troops may also have suffered casualties,” U Khaing Thukha said.
He added that the sudden incursion by the military into an area where AA troops were stationed meant that the Tatmadaw wanted to destabilise Arakan State.
“Whether or not the fighting continues will depend a lot on the Myanmar military’s operations. The fighting is likely to continue if the Myanmar military continues to attack and send reinforcements to the area,” he said.
A clash broke out near Wai Lar Taung village and Mile Post 45 of the border fence with Bangladesh, near Khamaung Seik village in northern Maungdaw Township, on February 4. Those hostilities did not involve the Arakan Army, U Khaing Thukha said.
DMG contacted Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura about Friday’s clash and the fighting reported a day earlier, but he could not be reached.
There have been almost no clashes between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army in Arakan State for more than one year, as the two sides reached an informal ceasefire arrangement in November 2020. Prior to Friday, the lone instance of renewed hostilities took place in Maungdaw Township in November of last year, when the two sides briefly exchanged fire.
Over the past year and more, the Arakan Army has built up its influence across large swaths of Arakan State, including the establishment of judicial and administrative systems independent of existing authorities. The Myanmar military has warned locals not to get involved with the ethnic armed group’s parallel administration.
