Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Military analysts have reported that the Myanmar military council is preparing to launch an offensive to retake the city of “Bunagyon” from the grip of the Arakan Army.
They added to “Arakan News Agency” that since July 20, 2025, military reinforcements have started arriving in villages in the city of Sittwe, such as “Amyintkyon,” “Kyawktanchay,” “Kankawkion,” and “Wzomatdat,” and have begun shelling Bunagyon villages, causing waves of displacement among local residents.
They indicated that the military movements suggest the military council’s intention to reclaim Bunagyon, similar to what they have done in some areas of Shan and Mandalay states recently, as part of their efforts to regain as much territory as possible before the upcoming elections.
Despite the absence of ground clashes in the town of Sittwe, there has been observed an exchange of artillery fire between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army, while government forces have continued to bolster their presence in the area.
The defected officer who joined the civil disobedience movement, “Zin Yaw,” stated that the military council seeks to replicate its recent victories in Northern and Southern Shan states, speculating that Bunagyon will likely be the first target in the state of Arakan before the elections.
He pointed out that the rugged geographical nature of the Arakan state poses a challenge to ground attacks, prompting the council to rely on artillery shelling instead of direct operations.
The city of Bunagyon, located north of the Arakan state, has been under the control of the Arakan Army since March 4, 2024, and lies near the city of Sittwe, the state capital, which remains under the control of the ruling military council in Myanmar.
It is worth noting that Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, and Manaung are the only three cities not yet controlled by the Arakan Army, after launching a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar Army to control the state, managing to seize 14 out of 17 cities. This conflict has also affected the Rohingya, who have suffered violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides after also being subjected to a “genocide campaign” by the Myanmar Army in 2017, which forced approximately one million to flee to Bangladesh.
In March last year, the Myanmar military council announced that the general elections planned for the upcoming December and January would be conducted in four stages, marking the first since the military coup in February 2021 following a series of promises to conduct them.
The general elections in Myanmar include electing the Parliament first or the Union Assembly (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), which consists of the House of Representatives (Pyithu Hluttaw), whose members are elected from various constituencies, and the House of Nationalities (Amyotha Hluttaw), whose members are elected from different states and regions. According to the 2008 Constitution, the military appoints 25% of the members of both houses.
After the parliament is elected, the president is chosen from among three candidates, who then appoint the government, with the military controlling the sovereign ministries “Defense, Interior, Border Affairs,” in addition to being granted the right to veto any constitutional amendments due to their 25% share in the parliament.
