Nepal, July 4 -- Since December 2024, the Arakan Army (AA) has been entrenching itself in the Rakhine state after the fall of the Western Regional Military Command at Ann Township in central Rakhine. As the military arm of the United League of Arakan (ULA), a Buddhist front, the AA's military victory is remarkable among the rebel groups fighting the Myanmar Army. After taking control of Maungdaw township, the army was able to completely control Myanmar's 270-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh.

The presence of the army right next to the borders of Bangladesh and India posed new challenges. Both countries did not want the conflict to spill over across the border, especially Bangladesh, which is hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees...