Rakhine Rebels Threaten Key Naval Base as Junta Struggles

[geovalin]

The Irrawaddy

 

Arakan Army fighters are tightening the noose around one of Myanmar’s most strategic military assets — the Danyawaddy naval base — as intense clashes erupt just 3 kilometres from the site in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State.

 

For six straight days, the ethnic armed group has targeted a junta outpost in Katthabyay village, described as the last major defensive position guarding the naval base. A collapse here, resistance sources warn, could open the path to Danyawaddy and trigger the fall of surrounding bases.

 

The Arakan Army (AA) has already taken control of the road linking Kyaukphyu town to the naval compound, capturing three positions along the route. With 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships now under AA control, the junta’s grip on the region is increasingly tenuous.

 

The area has so far been spared the full scale of fighting — possibly due to its hosting of Chinese-financed infrastructure, including a deep-sea port and oil and gas pipelines critical to Beijing. But this restraint now appears to be fading, with battles reported near a Chinese-backed gas plant and police base.

 

Drone warfare is intensifying, with daily junta strikes reported. Some drones are said to be newly arrived, operated by teams trained in China — a development that has sparked concerns over rising civilian casualties and friendly fire incidents. Over 40,000 people have already been displaced by the violence.

 

Meanwhile, in northern Shan State, regime forces have retaken Nawnghkio, a key town seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) during last year’s Operation 1027. The move breaks the Brotherhood Alliance’s southern advance and weakens its ability to threaten Mandalay’s military strongholds.

 

Though the junta now flies its flag in Nawnghkio, the broader battle remains fluid. Most of northern Shan is still controlled by the TNLA and its allies, who have resisted mounting pressure from China to withdraw. Analysts warn that the military’s gains are fragile — and could unravel without sustained offensives.

 

Still, the twin developments highlight a shifting front in Myanmar’s civil war: with the AA pressing hard in the west and ethnic forces losing ground in the north, the fight for control is far from settled.

 

-2025-07-17