Arakan Army
The AA was founded in 2009 to advocate for the Rakhine ethnic minority. This minority forms a significant portion of the population in the western Burmese state of Rakhine, which lags behind the rest of the country in economic development. AA leaders have drawn on the region’s historic independence as a kingdom prior to 1784 to advocate for preservation of the Rakhine ethnic identity and a greater voice within Burmese society. Drawing mostly from the Rakhine minority, the group...