On January 23, a spokesperson for the Arkan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organization active in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, released a statement acknowledging the extrajudicial killing of two prisoners of war by AA forces. Khaing Thu Kha, an AA news officer, admitted the group’s responsibility after videos of the incident spread across social media, drawing widespread criticism and investigation from human rights watchdog Fortify Rights. He confirmed the videos were filmed on February 7, 2024, in Kyauktaw, a township in Rakhine State that the AA operates out of. He claimed that the offending individuals had been identified and disciplined.
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Posted on December 25, 2024, the videos depict eight men, some donning AA uniforms and some armed, stripping and kicking the prisoners. The assailants then proceed to attack the victims with long knives, stabbing them and cutting their throats. In his statement, Khaing Thu Kha said, “When they captured Myanmar military soldiers who had unlawfully arrested, tortured, and executed their own family members, some of our local resistance fighters could not control their anger and acted in this manner as an act of revenge, violating military discipline.” The Fortify Rights investigation found that AA forces violated international human rights statutes including the Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute.
The victims were Tatmadaw soldiers, fighting for Myanmar’s ruling military junta that seized power in 2021 in a coup. Following the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s numerous ethnic armed organizations, including the AA, began a civil war against the junta. The AA is a part of the Northern Alliance, a coalition of paramilitary groups aligned with the exiled democratic government. This is not the first time the AA has been accused of committing crimes against humanity. AA forces have been known to target Rohingya civilians, including one incident in August 2024 where the AA allegedly launched a large-scale assault on Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh.
Sources
Martin, P. (2025, January 29). Myanmar rebel group Arakan Army admits to beheading two prisoners of war in Rakhine state. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-30/myanmar-arakan-army-admit-killing-prisoners-of-war/104869846
BBC News Myanmar (2025, January 23). Video of torture by AA soldiers leaked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oLdhVPmizg
Fortify Rights (2024, August 27). Survivors recount armed group’s mass killings of Rohingya civilians, including children, in Maungdaw. https://www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2024-08-27/
Fortify Rights (2025, January 23). Leaked video shows torture, extrajudicial execution of Myanmar junta soldiers. https://www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2025-01-23/
Fortify Rights (2025, January 24). Responding to leaked execution videos, armed group acknowledges crimes, vows accountability. https://www.fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-2025-01-24/