Htet Hlaing Win
On 20 December 2024, the Arakan Army (AA) announced that it had captured the headquarters of the Myanmar junta’s Western Command — one of 14 similar commands scattered throughout the country. The Western Command was the second to fall into rebel hands, the first being the Northeastern Command, which was taken by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in August 2024. The AA holds 13 of the 17 townships in Rakhine State and declared in October 2024 that it would transform the whole state into a junta-free zone.
The AA is attempting to govern the territories it has captured by establishing infrastructure and providing public services, like levying taxes, initiating a vaccine program and introducing a judicial program. But despite significant military advances in 2024, the AA faces considerable obstacles in achieving liberation from Burmese domination, as formulated in their doctrine, ‘The Way of Rakhita’. It emphasises the right of Rakhine people to create their own destiny, free from external influence. Having captured a large swath of territory and enjoying popular support from Arakanese people, the AA has begun portraying itself as the legitimate government of Arakan by creating so-called ‘departments’ to implement policies and provide public services.
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