Latest military-AA truce fragile, reached to ease ‘appalling hardship’ for Arakan civilians: AA spokesman

By DMG 28 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
28 November 2022, Sittwe 

Despite the Myanmar military and Arakan Army reaching another ceasefire to put a halt to months of renewed hostilities in Arakan State, clashes could resume “at any time,” said U Khaing Thukha, spokesman for the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA). 

“It [whether the ceasefire will hold long term] will depend on how things develop. The ceasefire agreement is not signed on paper. It is informal, and if one side does something to the other, [fighting] can break out at any time,” U Khaing Thukha told an online press briefing on Monday. 

The two sides have not yet made any clear commitment to how they will deescalate military tensions, said the AA spokesman. 

“It is too early to tell what we will do, and what will happen. We will wait and see, and we understand that people will also wait and see. So, what will happen will largely depend on the actions of both sides, and if they commit to keeping their promises,” said U Khaing Thukha. 

The informal ceasefire was brokered by the chairperson of Japan’s Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, the AA spokesman confirmed. 

“We carried out this [ceasefire] to alleviate the crisis facing the people. Some [individuals] have acted as intermediaries. Frankly speaking, Nippon Foundation chair Mr. Sasakawa mediated the ceasefire,” he told the press briefing. 

“Arakanese people have faced food shortages and the hospitals are running out of medicines, and many people are affected. At the moment, the most important thing for the people in Arakan State is food, medicine, and the urgent need to be able to harvest paddy in the current harvest season,” U Khaing Thukha lamented. 

“People are facing appalling hardships,” he said of the reason behind the ceasefire. 

The AA spokesman said at least 26 civilians in Arakan State were killed and 111 others were injured by Myanmar military artillery strikes, gunfire and other conflict-related violence from September 20 to November 27. The junta has used aerial drones, jet fighters and attack helicopters in its renewed conflict with the Arakan Army, at times targeting residential areas, he said at Monday’s press briefing.

“The international community needs to pay close attention to the war crimes committed by the military junta, and make an all-out effort to punish those who are responsible for the military’s atrocities,” he added. “During the fighting, the military aimed to instil fear in the innocent people who were living peacefully.” 

An informal ceasefire reached ahead of Myanmar’s 2020 general election broke down in August, leading to the renewed fighting that was the dominant subject of Monday’s ULA/AA press briefing.  

DMG phoned regime spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun and Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Colonel Kyaw Thura for comment on the AA spokesman’s remarks, but they could not be reached.