Arakan Army rejects junta’s planned elections in Rakhine

Staff Correspondent. Dhaka, August 12, 2025.

The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, has announced that it will not recognize elections planned by Myanmar’s military junta in areas under its control. AA spokesman Khaing Thu Kha told The Irrawaddy at a press conference on Monday (August 11) that the elections will not bring any benefits to the Rakhine people.

Since Operation 1027 began in western Myanmar in November 2023, the AA has captured 14 of the 17 townships in Rakhine and Paletwa township in neighboring Chin State. They are currently trying to capture Kyaukpyu Island township, home to a Chinese mega-investment project, and have surrounded the state capital, Sittwe.

Four years after seizing power in a coup in 2021, the junta recently renamed its ruling body the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) and is preparing for elections later this year. However, various opposition groups, including the AA, and international rights organizations have opposed the elections, calling them a farce. “We will not allow these elections to be held in areas under our control. No election led by the Myanmar government has ever benefited the people of Rakhine,” said Khaing Thu Kha.

He added that the election should be for the service of the people, otherwise it only confuses the people. The junta formed the SACP at a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council in Naypyidaw on July 31 and the next day imposed martial law in 63 townships in nine states and regions, including 14 AA-controlled townships in Rakhine. The AA said that this martial law would not affect its goals or plans to seize all townships in Rakhine.

The AA spokesman said that fierce fighting is underway for control of the No. 32 Police Battalion in Kyaukpyu Township. In addition, the junta continues to shell Sittwe, Paukto and Ponagyun Townships. The junta’s airstrikes and artillery fire have destroyed more than 11,000 buildings, homes, schools and hospitals in Rakhine State. The conflict and natural disasters have created more than 600,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rakhine. The AA has called on the United Nations and other international organizations to provide assistance to the IDPs in Rakhine.

According to Rakhine people and analysts, the junta’s election plan is just a ploy to legitimize military rule. “The junta is pushing for a bigger war through this election,” wrote one user on X.A. The AA’s announcement has added a new dimension to the political and military dynamics in Rakhine, raising new questions about the future of the region.