Myanmar’s armed forces called in fighter aircraft to conduct close air support (CAS) sorties against Arakan Army (AA) in the mountains near Rathedaung, located barely 50 km from Bangladesh.
At least three sorties were reportedly carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Arakan Army (AA) positions, whilst the Myanmar Navy also shelled the Rakhine rebel group from the river adjacent to the mountains.
Representatives from the Rakhine state stated the clashes of 13 October 2020 were the fiercest so far in Rathedaung. In previous clashes the Myanmar military only resorted to using helicopters.
The Myanmar Army also employed artillery to attack the Arakan Army (AA) simultaneously.
Over 30,000 Rakhine people have been forced to flee their homes during the past two months to escape the brutality of the Myanmar military.
Myanmar changed its tactics to focus principally on the Rakhine state, declaring ceasefire across the country in an effort to subdue the people of the area.
Bangladesh has cautioned Myanmar against deploying its military personnel on the international border. It has summoned the Myanmar ambassador in Bangladesh on several occasions and formally notified the United Nations (UN) of Myanmar’s activities.
Bangladesh is working to repatriate over 1.2 million Myanmar origin people back to Rakhine state after they were forced to flee to Bangladesh following widespread atrocities committed against the Rohingya people.
The Bangladesh government has reinforced positions of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and increased patrols along the international border with Myanmar to prevent further infiltration from the Burmese side.
