Fighting reported between military and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in Maungdaw Twsp

A clash reportedly broke out between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Tuesday morning at Labawwa, about two miles from Thit Tone Nar Gwa Sone village in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State. 

By DMG 01 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
1 February 2022, Maungdaw 

A clash reportedly broke out between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Tuesday morning at Labawwa, about two miles from Thit Tone Nar Gwa Sone village in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State. 

A police officer in Maungdaw Township said: “The clash broke out when the military conducted regional clearance operations. The ARSA [members] fled from the area.” 

The area where the clash broke out is some six miles from Yay Nauk Ngar Thar village and two miles from Khone Daing village in Maungdaw Township. 

A resident of Khone Daing village said: “The ARSA members are stationed at Labawwa. When villagers went to cut bamboo, ARSA opened fire on them.” 

Locals said they heard the sound of gunfire from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Students from nearby villages were sent home due to the gunfire. 

DMG phoned Colonel Kyaw Thura, the Arakan State minister for Security and Border Affairs, about the clash, but he could not be reached. 

In late October, fighting flared between ARSA and Border Guard Police (BGP) forces near old Zee Bin Chaung village in northern Maungdaw Township, according to local residents.