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Myanmar ethnic rebels say they’ve captured junta western command

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  • Myanmar ethnic rebels say they’ve captured junta western command
  • December 21, 2024
  • Article Body Text BANGKOK — <p>A Myanmar ethnic rebel group has captured a military regional command in Rakhine state, it said, in what would be a major blow to the junta. <br />  <br /> The Arakan Army had &quot;completely captured&quot; the western regional command at Ann on Friday after weeks of fighting, the group said in a statement on its Telegram channel.</p> <p>Ann would be the second regional military command to fall to ethnic rebels in five months and a huge blow to the military.</p> <p>Myanmar's military has 14 regional commands across the country with many of them currently fighting established ethnic rebel groups or newer &quot;People's Defense Forces&quot; that have sprung up to battle the military's 2021 coup.</p> <p>Fighting has rocked Rakhine state since the AA attacked security forces in November last year, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the putsch.</p> <p>AA fighters have seized swathes of territory in the state that is home to China- and India-backed port projects and all but cut off state capital Sittwe.</p> <p>The AA posted photos of a man whom it said was the Ann deputy regional commander, in the custody of its fighters.</p> <p>AFP was unable to confirm that information and has contacted the AA's spokesperson for comment.</p> <p>AFP was unable to reach people on the ground around Ann where internet and phone services are patchy.</p> <p>In decades of on-off fighting since independence from Britain in 1948 the military had never lost a regional military command until last August, when the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army captured the northeastern command in Lashio in Shan state.</p> <p>Myanmar's borderlands are home to myriad ethnic armed groups who have battled the military since independence for autonomy and control of lucrative resources.</p> <p>Last month the U.N. warned Rakhine state was heading towards famine, as ongoing clashes squeeze commerce and agricultural production.</p> <p>&quot;Rakhine's economy has stopped functioning,&quot; the report from the U.N. Development Program said, projecting &quot;famine conditions by mid-2025&quot; if current levels of food insecurity were left unaddressed. </p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date December 21, 2024 02:31 EST
  • Byline Agence France-Presse
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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