Arakan Army (AA) chief Major-General Twan Mrat Naing has thanked Arakanese people for their help in various ways to the armed organisation over the past 14 years as the AA celebrated the 14th anniversary of its founding on Monday.

The AA leader expressed gratitude for local Arakanese people, whom he said have bravely endured the miseries of war in Arakan State, and for Arakanese people elsewhere in Myanmar and overseas who “are doing their fair share for the revolution.”

“I am deeply grateful to the Arakan people who stand bravely, with pain and tears, amid the fighting, bombing and shelling, as well as the Arakanese communities overseas who are doing their fair share for the revolution,” he said.

He called for honouring comrades who sacrificed their lives in the fighting for the sake of Arakan State and its people.

“Today marks 14 years since the AA was founded,” Ann resident Ko Myo Lwin said. “The major-general has thanked the people because the AA’s success today is attributable to the support of Arakanese people. We Arakanese people are satisfied with it. We hope that the AA will achieve its goal as early as possible.”

Established in 2009, the AA has grown into a powerful ethnic army in a relatively short span. Amid periods of intense fighting with the Myanmar military starting in late 2018, the ethnic armed group has consolidated its control over large parts of Arakan State, running an administration and judiciary in parallel with Myanmar’s military regime.

The parallel National Unity Government (NUG) and armed organisations across the country sent congratulatory messages to the AA on its 14th birthday. Anniversary celebrations were held in several places including at the AA headquarters, in parts of Arakan State, as well as in Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

The AA has observed a humanitarian ceasefire with the Myanmar military since November of last year.