Rakhine ethnic armed group the Arakan Army (AA) has expressed solidarity with Kachin people following Monday’s massacre at a camp for internally displaced people, vowing to seek justice for the victims.
“The deliberate strike on an IDP camp, which is not a military target, is a war crime and crime against humanity,” AA information officer Khaing Thukha said.
“All of our sympathies are with families of victims. We will stand by the Kachin Independence Army/Kachin Independence Organization (KIA/KIO) and do what is necessary to pursue justice for innocent civilians who lost their lives.”
Junta troops shelled the IDP camp at Mung Lai Hkyet village, 3 kilometers north of KIA headquarters in Laiza, on Monday. At least 29 people, including 13 children, were killed and 57 others were injured in the strike, said the Kachin-based armed group.
Junta artillery also pounded an AA base in Laiza on Monday, killing an AA member and wounding 10 others, Khaing Thukha told The Irrawaddy.
“The regime attacks civilians whenever they suffer a military defeat. There have been similar incidents in Karenni, Karen and Rakhine states. In Laiza, they launched an artillery bombardment. Some shells hit Mung Lai Hkyet IDP camp and some hit our base.”
The AA also suffered casualties when the junta shelled Laiza late last month. The Sept. 28 strike left one AA officer dead and several others wounded at its base in Mung Lai Hkyet.
The AA was established in 2009 in Kachin State’s Laiza with the support of the KIA. Years later, members returned to their Rakhine homeland, leading to fierce clashes with the Myanmar military in late 2018 which continued until the general election in November 2020.
After around 20 months of calm, fresh fighting erupted in August last year. But the AA has observed an informal ceasefire since November on humanitarian grounds after junta travel restrictions took a heavy toll on Rakhine civilians. The armed group now controls much of rural Rakhine.
The AA however maintains its bases in Kachin, including a temporary headquarters in Laiza. Despite the ceasefire in Rakhine, the AA is believed to be involved in fighting in Kachin, where the KIA is battling the regime.
Monday’s massacre has sparked fears that fresh clashes may break out in Rakhine.
However, a military analyst said the fears may be unfounded.
The AA is unwilling to fight the regime in Rakhine while the local population is still recovering from Cyclone Mocha in May and massive flooding over the past few months, he said. On the other hand, the regime does not want to open a new front in Rakhine, he added.
“My view is [the regime] attacked Laiza just to put pressure on the KIA. If they don’t do so, KIA troops will come down to central Myanmar and fight the regime there. This is the reason they are attacking Laiza. Meanwhile, the AA is involved in the fighting because it has allied with the KIA. But the Laiza incident is unlikely to trigger fighting in Rakhine. People there are still struggling to overcome the impacts of Mocha and other disasters. Fresh fighting will only happen when the regime launches attacks there,” he told The Irrawaddy.
Both the KIA and AA are members of the Northern Alliance military coalition.
Khaing Thukha also warned that fresh fighting may break out if the regime carries out more deliberate attacks on AA bases.
“We have a temporary headquarters in Laiza, and we have clashed with the regime after their troops entered our territory. We have spread our troops to protect the Laiza headquarters. Military tensions may rise and fighting may break out if the regime deliberately attacks our bases,” said the AA spokesman.
Six AA members were killed and others wounded in July last year when the junta carried out an air attack on an AA base in an area controlled by the Karen National Union.
