Arakan Army Artillery Strikes Near Sittwe Put Myanmar’s Key Coastal Hub Back in the Line of Fire
The Arakan Army has used captured heavy artillery to shell Myanmar military positions around Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. The strikes bring fighting back toward a city central to coastal trade and planned energy projects, raising the cost of the junta’s struggle to hold the west.
Myanmar’s western coast is again feeling the shock of heavy guns as the Arakan Army steps up pressure on junta forces near Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. Recent footage and field reporting indicate that AA fighters are using a captured 122mm D-30/PL96 towed howitzer to carry out artillery strikes on Burmese military positions in the vicinity of the city.
The use of a standard 122mm system—especially one seized from the Myanmar army itself—marks a shift from hit-and-run guerrilla tactics toward sustained engagements with heavier weapons. The D-30 and its Chinese-produced PL96 variant can deliver high-explosive shells over several kilometers, giving the Arakan Army the ability to hit fortified positions, supply points, and key road junctions without exposing infantry to direct fire.
For civilians in and around Sittwe, the renewed artillery activity is a grim development. Sittwe is not just a garrison town; it is a coastal hub whose port facilities and roads link Rakhine’s interior to the Bay of Bengal. When shells land near military positions on its outskirts, the risk of misfires, overshoots, or retaliatory fire hitting nearby communities rises quickly. Families that already endured multiple rounds of conflict in the state now face the possibility that Sittwe could again become a contested zone.
The Myanmar military’s reliance on Sittwe as a logistical node adds to the city’s vulnerability. Holding Rakhine requires moving troops, ammunition, and fuel along limited road networks and through ports that are easy to observe. An insurgent force with its own artillery can target those chokepoints, forcing the junta to disperse convoys, strengthen air defenses, or divert scarce air assets to protect supply lines instead of striking rebel areas.
Strategically, the Arakan Army’s use of captured howitzers highlights the junta’s eroding monopoly on heavy weapons. Every abandoned artillery piece or overrun depot not only arms an insurgent group but signals to others that the central military is not invincible. In Rakhine’s case, this matters beyond domestic politics: the state hosts planned and existing infrastructure tied to regional powers, including energy and transport corridors that outside actors watch closely.
For India, China, and other neighbors, instability around Sittwe carries direct implications. The city’s port has figured in various projects meant to connect the hinterland to wider trade routes. Shelling near such assets underscores the risk that grand connectivity plans can be shattered by local grievances and determined insurgents wielding the central army’s own guns.
The fact that the AA is willing and able to fire a 122mm D-30/PL96 back at its former owners offers a concise insight into Myanmar’s war: the longer the conflict drags on, the more the state’s tools of control are repurposed to attack it.
What will matter next is whether these strikes remain occasional harassment or evolve into a sustained campaign around Sittwe. Watch for changes in traffic through the city’s port, signs of new fortifications or population movements, and any reports of the junta redeploying units from other regions to reinforce Rakhine. The Arakan Army’s ability to keep its captured artillery supplied and protected will also be a key indicator of how durable this new phase of the fighting will be.
Sources
- OSINT