One of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic groups pledged on Monday to block elections in areas it controls, rejecting polls the military junta has touted as a way of ending the nation’s civil war.
The Arakan Army (AA) has emerged as a key challenger to Myanmar’s ruling generals since a 2021 military coup sparked war and today controls nearly all of western Rakhine state.
In addition to the AA, the military is battling an array of other ethnic armies that have long resisted central rule and have been joined on the frontlines by new pro-democracy guerrilla units.
Late last month, the junta ended the nationwide state of emergency declared during the coup and said it would hold a general election in December.
Opposition groups including democratic lawmakers ousted in the coup are boycotting the vote, while a UN expert has branded it a “fraud” designed to legitimize the junta’s continuing rule.
Khaing Thu Kha, a spokesman for the AA, said the election would be blocked from areas of Rakhine controlled by the group — 14 out of the state’s 17 townships, according to conflict monitors.
“An election without public support will not benefit the people and will only create more confusion for the people,” said Khaing Thu Kha at a livestreamed news conference.
“The election may be able to be held in the area controlled by the military council, but it will not be allowed in areas controlled by us,” he added.
“It is certain that the Rakhine people are not interested in the elections.”
The junta estimates Rakhine — which borders Bangladesh — is home to around 2.5 million out of Myanmar’s 51 million population.
The AA initially had a truce with the junta but ended it in late 2023, joining other ethnic armies in a combined offensive, which inflicted stinging territorial losses nationwide.
The military has responded with a withering campaign of air strikes and a de facto blockade cutting off access between the coastal state and the rest of the country.
Around 560,000 people are currently living displaced in Rakhine, according to UN figures.
The junta says it has upheld local state-of-emergency measures in 14 of the state’s townships to “ensure stability, peace, and the rule of law.”
