NAYPYITAW, 14 August 2021, (TON): On August 1, the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), announced that it would be establishing its own judiciary in areas under its control.

The move, which comes just months after the Myanmar junta removed the group from its list of terrorist organizations, and less than a year into a ceasefire with the military that ended two years of fierce fighting, is just the latest evidence of its rapidly growing influence over life in northern Rakhine State.

Indeed, some observers say that much of the state is now under de facto ULA/AA rule, or something approaching it.

Dr. Aye Maung, the chairperson of the Arakan Front Party (AFP) said “as I said in another interview, the AA can now be assumed to have control over three-quarters of the entire state.”

Since his release from prison on February 12, Aye Maung has travelled extensively around his home state. During this time, he said, he has noticed a greatly expanded AA presence.

“I have come to the realization that in every place that I have visited during these months, there were just as many AA security forces as there were Myanmar Army forces,” he told media.

The AA can now be assumed to have control over three-quarters of the entire state – Dr. Aye Maung

He noted, however, that it is only recently that the group has become more prominently involved in non-military matters.