AA, Myanmar junta engage in fierce fighting near Rakhine State’s largest naval base

Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA) are engaging in major clashes near the Dhanyawadi Naval Base in Rakhine State’s Kyaukphyu Township, according to local sources. Fighting near the base—the largest in the state—began with a series of attacks on AA positions in the villages of Simaw and Kyattain on February 20, the sources said. “The conflict has been ongoing from that day until now. The junta has been conducting airstrikes at least twice a day since the fighting began,” a local man told Myanmar Now on Monday. Residents of several villages near the base, including Simaw, Kyattain, Sittaw, Shauk Chaung, Sayay, and Ukin, have fled the clashes, the man added. On Saturday, at least one local civilian, a 70-year-old man named Bi Lu from Ukin, was killed by a junta airstrike, and a number of Simaw residents were also injured, according to the same source. “The fighting is now at its most intense,” the man said. A resident of Kyaukphyu reported hearing the sound of fighting, but said the situation in the town remains normal. “We can hear artillery fire and the sound of jet fighters striking, but the town itself is calm. The fighting seems to be happening in areas a bit far away, around the Dhanyawadi Naval Base,” he said. The headquarters of the base is located along the route used by tankers to transport oil for the China-Myanmar oil pipeline, and is only about five miles from the Chinese-invested Kyaukphyu port. In addition to the Dhanyawadi base, there are two other naval installations in the area—the Taungmaw Gyi and Ohnkywain naval bases—as well as three army bases. In early February, artillery fire from these bases forced residents of around 10 villages to flee, according to local sources. Kyaukphyu is one of only three townships in Rakhine State still under junta control. Since launching its current offensive in November 2023, the AA has captured 14 townships in Rakhine State—Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Ramree, Ann, Gwa, Thandwe, and Taungup—as well as Paletwa in southern Chin State. AA forces currently have Kyaukphyu surrounded, and have been shelling the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, which is also under junta control. In response, the military has been conducting airstrikes on nearby Pauktaw and Ponnagyun townships. While the AA has so far not waged a major push to take Manaung, the third township still controlled by the regime, it has been attacking junta positions outside of Rakhine State, including in Ayeyarwady, Bago, and Magway regions. Kyaukphyu is the western terminus of a Chinese-owned crude oil pipeline that extends nearly 800km across Rakhine State, Magway and Mandalay regions, and Shan State before reaching China’s Yunnan Province. Another pipeline carrying natural gas starts from Ramree Island, south of Kyaukphyu. The main control stations for the pipeline are located in Kyaukphyu. The regime has not released any news about the fighting in Kyaukphyu Township, but announced last Friday that junta ministers met with representatives of China’s CITIC Limited in Naypyitaw to discuss the implementation of the Chinese-backed Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone deep-sea port project. In June of last year, Chinese embassy officials also conducted a three-day inspection of the oil and natural gas pipeline projects in Kyaukphyu.

AA, Myanmar junta engage in fierce fighting near Rakhine State’s largest naval base

The fighting, which is also close to major Chinese-backed sea-port and pipeline projects, comes as regime officials meet Chinese investors in Naypyitaw

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