The Arakan Army wants greater autonomy for Rakhine State, where the mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine people make up the majority of the population. Rakhine State saw a military-led crackdown in 2017, following attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents that prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee westwards into neighboring Bangladesh. While Suu Kyi is barred from being president by a military-drafted constitution, the president is a loyalist. Suu Kyi is seen as de facto leader of the civilian government, while the military remains in charge of security. An Arakan Army spokesman outside Myanmar told Reuters last week the group attacked the security forces in response to a broad military offensive in the north of Rakhine State that also targeted civilians.

Source: bd News24 January 09, 2019 05:48 UTC