Myanmar’s Arakan Army (AA) has achieved a significant victory, seizing control of Maungdaw, a strategic town bordering Bangladesh. This victory grants the AA control over a substantial portion of Rakhine state and represents a major escalation in their fight for self-determination amidst Myanmar’s ongoing civil war.
In the escalating civil war in Myanmar, the military junta is using food as a weapon to crush resistance in Rakhine state, creating a humanitarian crisis with nearly 900,000 people at risk of starvation. The junta’s blockade strategy, including checkpoints, road closures, and restrictions on aid access, is severely limiting food supplies to areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic rebel group. The junta’s actions have been condemned as a systematic attempt to subjugate the population and weaken support for the AA. The international community’s response to this crisis has been muted, leaving the people of Rakhine facing a dire situation with limited aid and rising food prices.
