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Twan Mrat Naing, Founder of the Arakan Army and Liberator of Arakan, Is Born
Updated: 13 hours ago
On This Day in Arakan History ၊ November 7, 1978
November 7, 1978, marks the birth of Twan Mrat Naing (also spelled Tun Myat Naing), the founder and commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army (AA), in Akyab (now Sittwe), the capital of Rakhine State. He would go on to become one of the most influential figures in the modern Arakanese struggle for self-determination.
Twan Mrat Naing grew up in modest circumstances in Rakhine State. He emerged as a student activist before taking on the role of revolutionary leader. In April 2009, Twan Mrat Naing founded the Arakan Army in Kachin State with just 26 members and reportedly only one gun between them. The fledgling group sought shelter with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and received crucial early support, including 100 guns from Peng Jiasheng, the founder of the Kokang-Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
For the Arakanese people, the birth of Twan Mrat Naing would come to represent the beginning of a new chapter in their long history of seeking autonomy. The Arakan Army, which he has led since its founding, grew from a small, ill-equipped group into one of the most powerful ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar. By mid-2025, he had built a strong army of more than 50,000 troops, which was well-disciplined, battle-hardened, and technologically advanced, controlling approximately 90% of Arakan.
Twan Mrat Naing has articulated the AA's vision as securing what he calls the "Arakan Dream"—the goal of self-determination for the Arakanese people in line with the ‘Way of Rakhita’. In interviews, he has framed the struggle in historical terms, referencing 1784, the year the independent Arakanese kingdom fell to Burmese conquest, as a symbolic reference point for the movement's aspirations.
On another front, his political philosophy goes beyond narrow-minded “Rakhine ethnonationalism,” advocating that all ethnic nationalities should be free from the oppression of military dictatorship in the country.
Twan Mrat Naing's birth on this day marked the arrival of a leader who would dedicate his life to the Arakanese cause. From humble beginnings, he built the Arakan Army into a formidable force that has reshaped the political and military landscape of Rakhine State.
His leadership continues to be central to the ongoing struggle for Arakanese self-determination in the 21st century. His birthday has also been marked by airstrikes from the Myanmar military in Arakan in some years underscoring that the struggle for national liberation remains unfinished.
