AA clashes with ARSA in northern Maungdaw

By Admin 26 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

26 September 2026, Maungdaw

Fighting erupted between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Arakan Army (AA) near Milepost 56 in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, according to local ground sources.

The engagement began at around 8:00 p.m. yesterday when ARSA members attacked an Arakan Army outpost, according to a military source.

“Clashes are taking place with ARSA in northern Maungdaw Township,” the military source told DMG. “Arakan Army fighters are currently conducting area clearance operations.”

DMG is continuing to investigate further details about the situation on the ground.

Military sources and analysts have previously reported that armed groups including ARSA, the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) have crossed into Arakan State from the Bangladesh border and carried out attacks on Arakan Army positions. They have also been accused of ambushes, killings of local residents, and kidnappings for ransom.

Military analysts say ARSA periodically resumes offensive activities after periods of relative calm, suggesting that attacks against Arakan Army positions in Maungdaw could be linked to ongoing fighting in Sittwe Township.

“With the military regime retreating on the Sittwe battlefront under Arakan Army offensives, the military regime and ARSA appear to be coordinating attacks on multiple fronts,” an Arakan military observer said. “In the past, the military regime and ARSA have similarly carried out joint attacks against the Arakan Army.”

To counter threats posed by armed groups in Maungdaw District, the Arakan Army imposed a nighttime curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. effective August 9, alongside heightened security operations.

Amid ongoing fighting in Sittwe Township, reports of ARSA movements in the Mayu Mountain Range have also prompted local communities to organize rotating night patrols to protect village security.