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Arakan Army confesses to killing Myanmar military prisoners of war in Rakhine State and pledges reform

The Arakan Army (AA) has confessed to murdering two Myanmar military prisoners of war (POWs) in Arakan (Rakhine) State and has vowed to take measures to prevent extrajudicial killing from being perpetrated in the future. 

“It is also necessary to be aware that we have medically treated and cared for hundreds of POWs. This incident is entirely contrary to our policy. The perpetrators have been prosecuted and punished. We are committed to preventing such incidents from happening again while continuing our fight,” Khaing Thuka, the AA spokesperson, told Narinjara News.

The admission of guilt came after Fortify Rights, a regional human rights organization, released a report on Thursday based on leaked video footage allegedly showing the execution of two Myanmar military POWs by AA members in front of a shallow dirt pit in the ground.

Fortify Rights called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the attack as a war crime.

Khaing Thuka laid the blame on junior members of the AA for carrying out the killing, adding that those responsible for the attack had been killed in combat, or had faced disciplinary action.

The video is reported to depict events following the capture of the Military Operations Command No. 9 (MOC-9) in Kyauktaw Township last February. Kyauktaw is 60 miles (96 km) north of the Arakan State capital Sittwe.

In an interview with the BBC, Khaing Thuka claimed that the AA members were angered over the “unjust killing” of family members by Myanmar military personnel and had failed to control their emotions, or to follow international humanitarian law as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions.

The AA now controls 14 out of 17 townships in Arakan, including the Western Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Ann Township, which it seized on Dec. 20. It is only the second ethnic armed group to capture an RMC after the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) seized full control of the Northeastern RMC in Lashio on Aug. 3.

The four Arakan townships remaining under regime control are the state capital Sittwe, the vital port town of Kyaukphyu, and the island of Manaung. The AA captured Paletwa Township in southern Chinland on Jan. 14, 2024. It has provided military support to the Chin resistance group known as the Chin Brotherhood.

The AA announced on Monday that intense fighting between it and the military is taking place near Arakan in areas bordering Bago, Magway and Ayeyarwady regions. It added that it has been engaged in battle with Light Infantry Divisions 88 and 99, along with troops from the weapons factories in Magway, since Jan. 11. 

Fighting in Arakan is taking place in Kamingan (Kammyinkan), Paneyaysan, and Kyakyesan villages of Ann Township, as well as along the Ann-Padan Road which connects Arakan to Magway. In Ayeyarwady, fighting has been reported at Point 369 Hill near Chinsu village of Yekyi Township, located 53 miles (85 km) north of the regional capital Pathein.

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