Offensive begins On the morning of 13 November 2023, the
Arakan Army (AA) attacked two
Border Guard Police stations in
Rathedaung Township, breaking the Rakhine State Ceasefire Agreement between the junta and the Arakan Army. Dong Paik camp was captured by 6:30 am. On 14 November, the junta had already abandoned around 40 outposts in
Rakhine state after attacks by the Arakan Army, but few came under their immediate control. Dozens of Myanmar security officers surrendered to the Arakan Army the following day. The following night, the Arakan Army launched an attack on
Pauktaw, seizing the
township police station. By the next morning, the Arakan Army had taken control of the town. The junta sent two
helicopter gunships alongside naval support to fire back, including at civilian housing, with heavy machine gun fire. Pauktaw's proximity to the Rakhine state capital,
Sittwe, posed a threat to the junta. Junta forces detained about 100 residents who were unable to flee, and positioned themselves to surround the town, using two navy ships to blockade the harbour. On 14 November, the Arakan Army launched an offensive in
Paletwa Township on the Chin-Rakhine border. The Arakan Army accused the Tatmadaw of using chemical weapons during the ensuing battles. On 6 December, the Arakan Army announced that they had captured a major military base in the township. On 8 January 2024, the
Arakan Army continued the offensive and captured the Taung Shey Taung base and its 200 junta soldiers in
Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State. They then escalated their offensive into
Paletwa Township, Chin State with the aim of capturing
Paletwa, a strategic town for the Indo-Myanmar
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project On 15 January, the Arakan Army seized Paletwa and the entire township, declaring it a "military council-free area." A week later, the Arakan Army captured the town of
Pauktaw in Rakhine State concluding a three-month battle. On 17 January 2024, the Taingen camp on the
Falam road to the Indian border was captured, with Chin resistance forces seizing arms and ammunition. On 20 January 2024, after more than 600 junta soldiers and refugees crossed the
India–Myanmar border, the
Government of India announced a plan to fence the entire border.
Fall of Mrauk U The Arakan Army captured most remaining Tatmadaw bases in
Minbya by 6 February, almost taking full control of
the township. On the same day, the Arakan Army seized the Taung Pyo junta outpost along the border with Bangladesh in
Maungdaw Township. The Arakan Army captured
Kyauktaw the next day and continued fighting in
Mrauk U and
Ramree. On February 7, the Arakan Army took control of
Minbya Township after capturing the last two military battalion headquarters in the township. Colonel Min Min Tun, commander of the 11th Light Infantry Division of the Tatmadaw, was killed during a battle at the base of the 377th Light Infantry Battalion in Mrauk-U Township. The Tatmadaw abandoned
Myebon to reinforce
Kyaukphyu on 9 February, leaving ammunition behind in their rush and abandoning the southern township of
Mrauk-U District. The same day, the AA took the city of Mrauk U, completing their control over the township. Three
Myanmar Navy landing craft, carrying 700–900 retreating junta soldiers, were sunk during the battle. The survivors of the sinking were reportedly shot at and attacked with knives by villagers and soldiers, which a spokesperson for the Arkhan Army denied. In response to the seizure of the three towns, the junta blew up bridges in
Kyauktaw Township and the state capital,
Sittwe.
Consolidation of Mrauk U District During an evacuation attempt by the junta from
Kyauktaw town during attacks by the Arakan Army on the same day, three naval landing craft were sunk. This resulted in the death of 700–900 retreating junta soldiers and their family members. According to a statement from the Arakan Army, the rebels rescued Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, commander of the 9th Military Operations Command, and some of his soldiers from the river. On 15 February, the Arakan Army captured
Myebon and started intensifying their assaults on Ramree. These assaults killed around 80 junta reinforcements between 24 and 26 February. On 28 February, the Arakan Army captured the final junta outpost in
Minbya Township, taking full control of the township.
Continued northern offensives On 5 March, the Arakan Army reportedly captured the town of
Ponnagyun and its
surrounding township. During the battle, junta
warships and
fighter jets shelled the town, eventually destroying the Zay Ti Pyin bridge connecting Ponnagyun to Rathedaung. The Arakan Army stated that it continued assaults on
Rathedaung and
Buthidaung Townships. The capture of Ponnagyun is significant as it is only 33 kilometres northeast of the regional capital,
Sittwe, and allows the Arakan Army to threaten the city. Tatmadaw tactical commander Colonel Myo Min Ko Ko and Major Saw Htwe were killed in Ponnagyung. On 12 March, after an 85-day battle, the Arakan Army captured the town of
Ramree. In
Maungdaw Township, AA also captured a border outpost forcing 179 junta soldiers to flee into neighboring Bangladesh. On 17 March, the Arakan Army captured the town of
Rathedaung, cutting off Sittwe from northern Rakhine State. The AA claimed that the junta used forcibly conscripted
Rohingya people as human shields during its unsuccessful defense of the town. On 15 April, the Arakan Army and the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) clashed in
Buthidaung Township, killing 25 Rohingyas. A local reported that the Tatmadaw and ARSA fought together during the clashes. Twelve Rohingya civilians were reportedly killed in a junta airstrike on 17 May, and that same day the Arakan Army allegedly bombed a school with drones where Rohingya civilians were sheltering, killing 18 and wounding around 200. Following Buthidaung's fall, large portions of the town and outlying villages were systematically burned to the ground. Witnesses and international organizations accused the Arakan Army of engaging in retaliatory arson against Rohingya people, ordering them out of their homes before burning them to the ground. The Arakan Army denied any involvement with the attack, blaming the fires on junta shelling during the course of the battle. On 3 May, the Arakan Army captured the headquarters of the
Border Guard Police in
Maungdaw Township at Kyee Kan Pyin. The Arakan Army began launching attacks on Maungdaw town on 21 May. The next day, the AA claimed the capture of the No. 2 Border Guard Police Detachment near the entrance to the city. during May–December 2024. On 5 August 2024, the
Arakan Army attacked Rohingya civilians in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State killing 221. According to the Rohingya news group,
Kaladan Press, the attack was possibly triggered by a large gathering of
RSO fighters near the massacre area. Then, AA attacked the area indiscriminately. As of November 2024, the Arakan Army controls most of
Maungdaw town, with junta holdouts remaining in the No. 5 Border Guard Police Detachment, the final SAC outpost in the township. On 5 October, it was reported that the junta accidentally killed twenty of its own soldiers in an airstrike that struck the detachment. The Arakan Army also continued to clash with the ARSA and RSO in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. On December 8,
AA captured BGP 5, removing the junta's control of Maungdaw Township and the
Bangladeshi border.
Central and southern Rakhine offensives On 16 February, following clashes with the Arakan Army, junta forces abandoned the town of
Ma Ei, destroying a bridge leading to the town as they left. Arakan Army forces occupied the town soon after and began landmine clearance operations. On 24 March, the Arakan Army began an offensive on
Ann Township concurrently with their offensive on Sittwe, launching attacks on
Ann, the headquarters of the junta's
Western Command. North of Ann, the Arakan Army launched attacks on neighbouring
Ngape Township in
Magway Region. Ann's location is strategically important as the link between Rakhine and Magway via the Minbu-Ann road through the
Arakan Mountains and as a gateway preventing AA from attacking southern Rakhine State. On 27 March, Arakan Army forces seized a camp near Ge Laung village, Ann Township. On 2 April, the Arakan Army announced it had captured a portion of the Ann-
Minbu Highway, cutting off Ann from neighboring Padein. During these offensives, on 10 April, the Arakan Army rebranded itself as the "Arakha Army" to represent all people living in Rakhine State. On 27 April, the Arakan Army captured Taw Hein Taung base in the hilltops of Ann township. On 26 June, locals reported that the fighting had moved closer to the town proper since the Taw Hein Taung base had fallen, prompting many to try and flee the fighting. On 13 April, the Arakan Army began clashing with junta forces along the
Thandwe-
Taungup highway. Intense clashes broke out on 22 April around the Tha Htay hydropower plant in northern
Thandwe Township, reportedly leading to the deaths of "dozens" of junta soldiers. On 25 April, the Arakan Army began clashing with junta forces near the
Ngapali Beach. On 26 June, the Arakan Army seized the headquarters of the junta's Battalion 566, forcing military troops to retreat to
the town's airport and hotels inside the city. The Arakan Army announced they had secured the airport on 5 July. Militia reinforcements brought by the regime from across Myanmar, as well as shelling from navy ships offshore, were unable to stop the Arakan Army's continued progress in its offensive. On 15 July, the Arakan Army took control of Thandwe Prison, a major junta strong point. In the following days, it successfully consolidated its control over the town, pushing out remaining junta forces. On 7 August, the Arakan Army launched an attack against the Maung Shwe Lay Naval Base outside Thandwe. By 30 August, the Arakan Army had successfully entered the base after clashes through the preceding weeks. The naval base fell to the Arakan Army on 5 September. Retaliatory junta airstrikes reportedly hit civilian areas. On 18 June, the town's general administrator, as well as another town official, were arrested by the junta while trying to flee from the fighting to Yangon. On 20 June, the Arakan Army ambushed a column of junta soldiers that had been sent from central Myanmar to reinforce the town, reportedly killing over 60 regime soldiers, including a captain. On 23 June, two civilians were wounded after stepping on a landmine placed by junta forces. Civilians were reportedly attempting to flee Taungup but were being turned back by junta forces. After a period of relative calm, conflict in Taungup resumed at the end of October, when the Arakan Army attacked a junta artillery position outside the town. Fighting in Taungup continued throughout the next week following the base's fall, with the Arakan Army closing to within 10 km of the town. By 14 November, reports indicated that fighting had moved into the town itself. On 9 August, the Arakan Army advanced into the state's southernmost township,
Gwa Township. Clashes were reported around the Chinkwin Bridge and the town of
Kyeintali. Junta forces destroyed a bridge near the town during their retreat. Reports indicated that junta troops in Gwa had been reinforced by formations drawn from
Ayeyarwady Region. According to analysts, there were fears within the junta that Gwa falling to the Arakan Army could let fighting spread into Ayeyarwady, which has been largely conflict-free throughout the war. Narinjara News reported on 12 August that over the course of the offensive, junta forces had destroyed 22 bridges throughout the state in attempts to impede the Arakan Army's advances. On 14 December 2024, AA captured
Taungup Township. On December 29, 2024, AA captured
Gwa Township after months of fighting.
Offensive in Sittwe In late 2025, the AA largely began attacking Sittwe after capturing most of Rakhine State. In early January of 2026, AA forces advancing from
Ponnagyun Township overran junta positions near Tawkan and Kantkaw Kyun, crossing a creek that separates the two areas.
Battle of Ann Beginning on 26 September, the Arakan Army launched an offensive against military bases around Ann. By 21 October, the Arakan Army had begun attacking the Western Command headquarters near the town. The group had reportedly completely surrounded the town and occupied Ann's airport. On 20 December, the Arakan Army said it had seized the headquarters of the Western Command.
Offensives beyond Rakhine State (January 2025–present) Following the capture of all but three of Rakhine State's townships by the end of 2024, the Arakan Army has since begun offensives in the
Bago,
Magway, and
Ayeyarwady regions. The AA's advance in these regions could eventually expose the junta's military factories on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River to attacks.
Magway Region Starting from January 11, the ethnic
Arakan Army (AA) and their allies have launched an assault on Myanmar junta outposts guarding an artillery base on the Ann-Padan Road linking Rakhine State with neighboring
Magway Region, according to local sources. Clashes also broke out that day on the outposts of two Arakan Mountain villages near Goggyi, just 32 kilometers from Padan in Magwe’s
Ngape Township. The
People’s Revolution Alliance-Magway group reported attacking five junta vehicles carrying around 100 junta soldiers near Goggyi village with remote-controlled mines, killing four and wounding 13 others.
Bago Region Ayeyarwady Region Having captured all of southern Rakhine, the Arakan Army began incursions into the
Ayeyarwady Region from Gwa Township. In January 2025, the AA captured Magyizin and Bomie villages in
Thabaung Township. In March, the AA continued its advance towards
Thabaung and began attacking Infantry Battalion 308 in the city's vicinity. The AA then entered
Lemyethna Township and began clashing with the junta in villages near the Pathein-Monywa Highway. By 26 March, the AA captured several of these villages, including Tonetaw, Le Khon Gyi, Le Khon Lay, Wut Kone, and San Kone.
Tatmadaw's counter offensive in January 2025 Tatmadaw launched an offensive into Rakhine in early September to relieve encircled cities in Rahkine, with some initial victories for Arakan Army. However Tatmadaw is said to be deploying large numbers of troops to the task. With fighting in three townships, Bago, Irrawaddy and Magwe. Fighting described as intense. Heavy fighting is continuing. Tatmadaw's objectives are to take Ann, Taungup, Thandwe and Gwa townships from the Arakan Army. The hope of Tatmadaw is to have these objectoves met by October sometime. The Arakan Army is advancing within 12km of Ordnance Factory (KaPaSa) No. 14 in
Magway Region's
Ngape Township, an important ammunition factory for the Tatmadaw. On 11 March 2026, The
Myanmar Air Force carried out airstrikes utilizing 8 aircraft on a
P.O.W. camp controlled by the Arakan Army in
Ann Township, killing its own soilders and resulting in the death of 116 prisoners of war and civilians. 32 others were also reported injured. The attack also killed Brigadier General Myin Shwe, along with numerous high majors and military doctors. By mid April 2026, the military regime has ramped up naval deployments and drone surveillance along southern Rakhine's AA-held coast. == Ethnic tensions with Rohingya ==