A Myanmar rebel group said Monday that junta troops attacked its fighters in breach of a ceasefire, accusing the military of trying to destabilise the only region of the country that has seen no post-coup crackdown.

The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since last February's putsch, with a brutal crackdown on dissent and increased fighting in borderlands involving ethnic armed organisations.

Days after the coup, the junta reaffirmed a commitment to a ceasefire with the Arakan Army (AA), which has for years fought a war for autonomy for Rakhine state's ethnic Rakhine population.

On Friday junta troops entered an AA base in Maungdaw township, sparking three hours of clashes, a spokesperson for the group told AFP, adding one of its fighters had been killed.

"There is high tension militarily, which could break out any time," he said.

"It seems as if the military wants to destabilise Rakhine's stability and calm."

A junta spokesman said a number of border police had been killed in a mine attack on February 4, but blamed a local Rohingya insurgent group for the attack.

"We are still investigating the presence of the AA situation there," said spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

Clashes between the AA and the military in 2019 displaced more than 200,000 people across the state, one of Myanmar's poorest.

After the coup, the junta ended a 19-month internet shutdown in the state of around one million.

The AA previously reported its fighters had clashed with junta troops in November.

Rakhine state, home to both the Rohingya and a largely Buddhist ethnic Rakhine majority, has been a tinderbox of conflict for decades.

The military drove out more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims from the state in a 2017 campaign that United Nations investigators have called genocide.

Rights groups have also accused soldiers of committing war crimes including extrajudicial killings in their later campaign against the AA.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Costa Rica: Central America's green pin-up
San Jose (AFP) Feb 4, 2022
Costa Rica, which elects a new president Sunday, is a small country thriving on ecotourism. Its neutrality, strong democracy and political stability have earned it the nickname of Central America's Switzerland. Here are four facts about the country of more than five million people: - Beacon of peace - Independent since 1821, Costa Rica is considered a model of democracy in Central America. A short civil war in 1948 led to the abolition of the army and helped put in place the country's po ... read more