Burma Campaign-UK’s Effort To Divide Myanmar’s Resistance For Junta’s Benefits

Aung Naing Lin, Opinion March 10, 2026

Logo of Burma Campaign-UK and A Female Soldier of the AA (photocrd)

On February 25, 2026, Burma Campaign-UK, led by its long-time director Mark Farmaner, released a statement urging the UK government to impose sanctions on the United League of Arakan (ULA) and Arakan Army (AA) leadership.

The report accuses the AA of serious crimes against (Rohingya) Muslims and others, including massacres by drone strikes, mass detention, torture, beheadings, forced displacement, looting, blocking food and work, extortion, forced recruitment, aid restrictions, forced labor, and even burning people alive.

It also mentions rapes, executions, and abductions in Chin State, executions of captured junta soldiers, restrictions on internet and arrests of critics among Arakanese people, and collective punishment based on unproven links to ARSA.

These claims paint a dark picture, but a closer look shows a clear one-sided story. Most of the serious incidents happened during heavy fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw. In those areas, the Myanmar junta openly worked with Islamist extremist groups like ARSA, RSO, and ARA. These groups carried out brutal attacks on civilians, especially Arakanese Buddhists and other non-Muslim minorities. But, since the AA’s complete control on these areas in late 2024, there are now more stability and security in the region

Yet Burma Campaign-UK ignores the development and says nothing about these crimes committed by other parties. It ignores the junta’s role in arming and directing those groups to create chaos and blame the AA. This selective silence turns the report into a tool that protects the real abusers while attacking those fighting for freedom.

The report leans heavily on sources like the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (July 2025 update), UK government statements from January 2025, Fortify Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Rohingya civil society groups, and some media. The ULA’s information wing has already made it clear: much of this information is unverified, lacks proper evidence, and carries strong political bias. Many of these organizations rely on one-sided accounts from certain Muslim activists and rarely include voices from Arakanese communities who live through the daily reality. When battles rage and both sides suffer, it is easy to twist facts to fit a narrative. The report does exactly that.

Behind this push, the real influence seems to come from diaspora Muslim activists such as Tun Khin and Nay San Lwin. These individuals have spent years trying to damage the image of the ULA/AA. They use every channel to spread negative stories, even when the AA enjoys wide respect—not only among Arakanese people but across much of Myanmar’s anti-military resistance. The AA has earned admiration for its discipline, its fight against the junta, and its efforts to build fair governance in liberated areas.

By focusing only on accusations against the AA while ignoring junta-backed violence, Burma Campaign-UK helps create division. This plays straight into the hands of the Myanmar military. The junta wants resistance groups to fight each other instead of uniting against it. A divided opposition is much easier to control.

The timing is no accident. As the AA gains more ground and builds trust with different communities, efforts to label it as another abuser grow louder. This is not about justice or human rights. It is about weakening a strong resistance force that threatens the junta’s grip on power. Mark Farmaner and Burma Campaign-UK may claim neutrality, but their report ignores key facts and repeats unproven claims from biased sources. True accountability needs balance: expose crimes by all sides, including the junta and its allies like ARSA. Selective outrage only helps the oppressors.

People across Myanmar and the world should see this report for what it is—a clumsy attempt to split the resistance. The AA continues its struggle for self-determination and peace in Arakan. It faces attacks from the junta, from extremist proxies, and now from well-funded campaigns abroad.

Unity, not division, will bring real change. The truth on the ground matters more than polished reports from London. Those who care about ending military rule should support facts over propaganda and resist efforts that serve the junta’s interests.