The Myanmar military has warned local residents in Arakan State’s Manaung Township to steer clear of the Arakan Army (AA), and not to support the ethnic armed group.

Troops from Light Infantry Battalion No. 344, based in Manaung, arrived at Bel Ein village on Saturday and summoned locals to a meeting at the village monastery, where they issued the warning, said a local resident who attended the meeting.

“They told us not to get involved with the AA and not to collect money for it. They also told us not to run gambling dens, but nothing else,” he told DMG on condition of anonymity.

Military personnel also searched houses of those suspected of having ties to the AA, said a resident whose home was searched.

“Around 20 soldiers came to my house and asked me if I was involved in any activities related to the AA. I told them that I did nothing, and they told me to steer clear of the AA,” he said.

Increased junta troop movements have been reported in Manaung since the last week of July, panicking local residents.

DMG’s calls to Myanmar regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun and Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura went unanswered.

After 21 months of relative calm in Arakan State, an informal AA-military ceasefire reached in November 2020 appears to be in jeopardy. The AA, which has consolidated control over large parts of Arakan State since the truce was reached, is now facing significant pushback from a Myanmar military apparently seeking to counter the ethnic armed group’s growing influence in the region.