Junta replaces Western Command chief as analysts warn of intensified clashes on Arakan front

By Admin 02 Jun 2026

DMG Newsroom

2 June 2026, Sittwe

Clashes could intensify on the Arakan front after the regime replaced Major-General Kyaw Swar Oo with Major-General Kyaw Soe as commander of the Arakan State-based Western Command, military analysts said.

The new Western Command commander, Major-General Kyaw Soe, is a graduate of Defence Services Academy Intake 43 and is reportedly the youngest among the current regional military commanders.

He previously served as commander of Military Operations Command No. 7 (MOC-7) based in Pekhon, southern Shan State.

Military analysts believe that because Major-General Kyaw Soe achieved some military successes in Kayah State, the regime could launch more offensive operations in Arakan State.

Captain Zin Yaw, a participant in the Civil Disobedience Movement, said: “As soon as he became the regional commander, security was tightened and firing broke out in Sittwe Town. Under the tenure of military chief Ye Win Oo, many regional commanders have been demonstrating their prowess. They are trying to reclaim lost territories. As Kyaw Soe is young and has had military successes in Kayah State, he might act aggressively and launch offensive operations.”

Although the regime wants to launch an offensive on Ponnagyun Town, which is closest to Sittwe, junta forces have been unable to advance due to the combat capabilities and deterrence of the Arakan Army.

Captain Zin Yaw added that clashes could intensify in the coming period because Arakan Army chief Maj-Gen Twan Mrat Naing has vowed to completely capture regime-held towns in Arakan State before 2027.

Currently, intense clashes are taking place on the border between Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships, and military sources said the regime is using heavy artillery and carrying out airstrikes on some villages in Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships.

“Today, there are daily heavy artillery and drone strikes on the Sittwe front. The two sides are exchanging fire. The military is providing air and naval artillery support. There are also rumors that the Arakan Army will launch a major offensive on Sittwe during this rainy season. So, we will have to wait and see,” a resident of Mosel Island in Rathedaung Township said.

The regime is attempting to launch offensives from Chin State, Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions, which border Arakan State, and is continuously reinforcing troops in Kyaukphyu and Sittwe townships.

There are also assessments that military chief General Ye Win Oo is changing regional commanders in an effort to launch nationwide offensives to reclaim townships lost during the tenure of junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing.

“The new military chief, Ye Win Oo, has replaced regional commanders and is continuously working to reclaim lost townships. They are making all-round efforts to apply military pressure and launch offensives on the Arakan side as well. Therefore, with the new chief of staff and new regional commanders, clashes are only expected to continue intensifying across the country,” an Arakan military observer said.

After the Arakan Army captured the Western Command and Ann Town in December 2024, the Western Command was relocated to the Military Operations Command headquarters in Sittwe Town, from where it currently commands three towns in Arakan State.

The regime has also been continuously reclaiming towns in northern Shan, Chin and Kayin states, as well as Mandalay, Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions since mid-2025.

Following the coup, revolutionary forces captured and controlled 104 towns across 10 regions and states in Myanmar, but the regime has currently recaptured 19 of them.