By: Thomas Brent - Posted on: January 15, 2019 | Current Affairs
The Arakan Army was formed just under ten years ago but has quickly grown into a fierce military force in Myanmar. Its latest attacks, which fell on the country’s Independence Day, prompted an unprecedented response from Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, whose office ordered the state army to “crush” the insurgency group. But what will a crackdown achieve and why has the government called for it?
As 2019 took its first tentative steps, Myanmar set about celebrating its 71st anniversary of its independence from British rule. On 4 January, in Maha Bandula Park in Yangon, the sound of sporting events and fun fairs filled the air. In the Buthidaung township in northern Rakhine state, it was the sound of bullets that stamped a bloody mark on the calendar.
