National United Party of Arakan

National United Party of Arakan
ရခိုင်အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးပါတီ
Dates of operation1994 (1994) –2020 (2020)
HeadquartersSittwe, Rakhine State
Active regionsRakhine State
IdeologyRakhine nationalism
Anti-authoritarianism
Secularism[1]
Allies
Opponents Myanmar

Union of Myanmar (until 2011)

India (until 1998)
Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

The National United Party of Arakan (Burmese: ရခိုင်အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးပါတီ; NUPA) is a political organisation and insurgent group in Rakhine State, Myanmar. It was formed in 1994 as a merger between four nationalist groups, including a faction of the Communist Party of Arakan.[2][3][4] Its armed wing was the Arakan Army.[5][6]

As opposed to the anti-Rohingya Arakan Liberation Army, NUPA/AA was more cordial with the Rohingya and even formed the Arakan Independence Alliance with the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation.[7][8]

Bangladesh authorities accused NUPA of conducting criminal activities in Chittagong Division.[9][10]

In 1998, NUPA and Karen National Union leaders were arrested on Landfall Island, India. They were imprisoned in 2010 for allegedly smuggling weapons to Northeast Indian insurgents.[11] On 6 December 2020, NUPA merged with the United League of Arakan.[12]

References

  1. ^ "National United Party of Arakan: on the Racial Clashes in Sittwe, Arakan". 7 February 2001. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018.
  2. ^ Minahan, James; Wendel, Peter T. (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 2144. ISBN 978-0-313-32384-3.
  3. ^ "Leftist Parties of Myanmar". Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. ^ Roberts, Christopher (2010). ASEAN's Myanmar Crisis: Challenges to the Pursuit of a Security Community. Institute of Southeast Asian. p. 65. ISBN 978-981-4279-36-9. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ Fighting in Arakan State. Mizzima. 15th September 1998
  6. ^ 183 sophisticated weapons confiscated near the Burma-Bangladeshi border during 2004. Narinjara News. May 12, 2005
  7. ^ Burmese rebel groups commit to ban anti-personnel (AP) landmines. December 5, 2003. Geneva Call.
  8. ^ Arakan (Rakhine State): A Land in Conflict on Myanmar’s Western Frontier Transnational Institute. Martin Smith. December 2019.
  9. ^ Bandarban hills – safe haven for Myanmar separatists. Dhaka Tribune. August 27, 2015.
  10. ^ Rohingya groups under scanner. The Daily Star. Julfikar Ali Manik. October 7, 2012.
  11. ^ Freed Arakan, Karen Guerrillas En Route to Netherlands. June 18, 2012. Zarni Mann. The Irrawaddy.
  12. ^ Founded by prominent Arakanese revolutionary, NUPA disbanded and merged with AA. December 13, 2020. Development Media Group. Archived January 23, 2025, at the Wayback Machine