Arakan Army may be an unexpected ally for the Rohingya

The Dangers of a Rohingya Insurgency

In this video, Thomas Kean, Crisis Group’s Senior Consultant for Myanmar and Bangladesh, talks about how Rohingya armed groups joined forces to combat the Arakan Army.

Arakan Army may be an unexpected ally for the Rohingya

In a striking twist of geopolitical irony, one of the most persecuted Muslim communities in the world — the Rohingya — may find their most realistic path home not through the government of Myanmar or through international institutions, but via an unlikely actor: the Arakan Army. Long viewed with suspicion by the Rohingya themselves and largely ignored by the international

Rohingya repatriation may depend on Arakan Army, not Myanmar government

In the shadows of Myanmar’s prolonged civil war, a quiet but profound shift has taken place in Rakhine State – one that may hold the key to solving one of the most protracted refugee crises in the world. As traditional diplomatic avenues have collapsed and global attention wanes, a new and surprising actor has emerged at the center of repatriation prospects for the Rohingya: the Arakan Army. For years, the Rohingya – a persecuted Muslim minority…