The Arakan Army (AA), an ethno-nationalist rebel group, is one of the most prominent militias in Myanmar.
The AA now controls about 90 percent of the territory and at least 14 of 17 townships in Rakhine State (Myanmar Now,
December 30, 2024; Narinjara News, April 11, 2025, November 16, 2024; Fulcrum, January 13). [1] [2] The group has consistently reiterated its aim to gain greater autonomy and rights for Rakhine State and its people.
Moreover, Rakhine’s borders with Bangladesh, its geo-strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the presence of significant Indian and Chinese infrastructure investments in the state,
make the AA one of the most consequential non-state actors in Myanmar. However, the group’s true motives remain unclear,
especially considering its tendency to govern Rakhine as a proto-state and persecute the local Rohingya Muslim minority (Daily Star [Bangladesh], April 29, 2025, August 28, 2024).
The AA is the most significant threat to Myanmar’s junta (The Irrawaddy, September 10, 2024). The insurgent group has strengthened its control over local communities by establishing parallel governance in the administrative, judicial,
health, and other public service systems (Center for Arakan Studies, July 3, 2024). In order to advance its political influence,
the AA formed the United League of Arakan in 2015 to push its political goals alongside military actions (Transnational Institute, April 4).
The group now stands behind a pseudo-government in Rakhine State called the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government (APRG).
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