The Arakan Army (AA) announced on March 12 that it has completely controlled Rambre Town (known as Yanbye), Rakhine State, after an offensive attack for almost three months.
Rambre, which is located on Rambre Island, was attacked on December 18, 2023, and was captured by the Arakan Army after 85 days.
“AA has taken control of Rambre. It is the first town in southern Rakhine State. It was attacked for a longer time than the towns of Mrauk U, Minbyar, and Kyauktaw. The damage is quite a lot,” said a resident of Rambre.
It is reported that the military junta conducted a joint attack by the army, navy and air force and daily carried out airstrikes, to prevent losing the town of Rumbre, which was attacked by the Arakan Army for almost three months.
“I heard that Rambre has been captured. The Arakan Army confirmed it yesterday (March 11th). Before the AA was able to capture it, the junta air force continuously attacked. The Navy also fired with heavy weapons and small arms. Yesterday, the planes fired from the air for almost a whole day. They fired once, from 6 to 8 in the morning. They fired more than 100 times that morning. Then, at 10 o’clock, they shot four times with a Mi-35 helicopter. At around 12 o’clock in the afternoon, they shot five more times. We could say that the whole town was ruined by the continuous aerial fire. Pauktaw was the worst war-torn town in northern Yakhine, and Rambre town was the worst in the south. It’s the second most damaged town,” explained a resident of Rambre.
Although the Arakan Army has captured Rumbre Town, it has appealed to the residents of Rumbre not to immediately enter their homes due to the dangers of abandoned mines and landmines placed by the Military Junta troops during the nearly three-month battle.
A resident who fled Rumbre town said, “The town has not yet been re-entered. They (AA) will not be allowed to re-enter immediately. The junta can still attack by air, and since it is an island surrounded by water, it may still be shot from the naval ships, so it is not possible to enter the town. It is known that people from other AA-controlled towns have not been able to enter either. Rumbre, which was occupied by the AA yesterday, will take a long time to re-enter.”
In the last week of January, Rumbre was severely attacked by air and sea forces for almost a week, and the entire town was completely destroyed. The airstrikes in February destroyed some public houses, including the town hospital and market.
During Operation 1027, the Arakan Army occupied Mrauk U, Kyauktaw, Pauktaw, Minbya, Myaypone, and Ponnagyun towns in northern Rakhine State, as well as the Paletwa region, and then occupied Rambre town in southern Rakhine State again.