In a significant setback for Myanmar’s military junta, the Arakan Army (AA) announced the capture of a major military headquarters in the country’s western Rakhine state. The AA reported on Friday, via a statement on Telegram, that the western military command in Ann had fallen after two weeks of intense fighting. This marks the second regional military command to be overtaken by ethnic rebels in just five months, highlighting the growing challenges faced by the junta amid a nationwide armed resistance.

Rakhine state, which shares a border with Bangladesh, has been a hotspot for conflict. The fall of the Ann regional command is considered a major blow to the junta, which has been grappling with increasing opposition from both well-established ethnic rebel groups and newer “people’s defence forces” formed in response to the military’s 2021 coup.

The junta’s military structure comprises 14 regional commands across Myanmar, many of which are currently engaged in conflicts. The loss of another strategic base underscores the mounting pressure on the military government as resistance forces gain ground. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for the military government for comment were unsuccessful.

Rakhine state has been a flashpoint of violence since November 2023, when the Arakan Army (AA) launched an offensive against security forces, effectively ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the military coup in 2021. The renewed clashes have enabled the AA to capture significant territory, including areas critical to China and India-backed port projects, while nearly isolating the state capital, Sittwe.

The AA also released images purportedly showing the deputy regional commander of Ann in their custody, signalling a direct challenge to the junta’s authority in the region.

The Arakan Army is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of anti-junta ethnic rebel groups. Since initiating their offensive in October 2023, the alliance has achieved several key victories, particularly along Myanmar’s border with China, further weakening the military government’s control over its peripheral regions.

In August 2023, the Three Brotherhood Alliance achieved a historic milestone by capturing the northeastern town of Lashio, marking the first-ever seizure of a regional military command in Myanmar’s history. This significant victory further underscored the growing strength of ethnic armed groups against the junta.

Myanmar’s borderlands have long been a battleground, with numerous ethnic groups fighting for autonomy and control over lucrative natural resources since the country’s independence. The intensification of conflicts, particularly in Rakhine state, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Last month, the United Nations issued a dire warning that Rakhine state was on the brink of famine. Prolonged clashes have severely disrupted commerce and agricultural production, deepening food insecurity for millions of residents in the conflict-ridden state.

“Rakhine’s economy has stopped functioning,” the report from the UN Development Programme said, projecting “famine conditions by mid-2025” if current levels of food insecurity were left unaddressed.