Terror Attacks Double in Myanmar, says Janes

LONDON –  Janes Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) recorded 246 attacks by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in Myanmar in 2019, up 98.4% from 124 attacks in 2018.

“The significant increase in attacks in Myanmar particularly reflects the intensifying conflict between the armed forces and the Arakan Army ethnic insurgent group in Rakhine State”, said Matthew Henman, head of Janes Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. “The conflict has spread broadly across key areas of the state, and while the figures recorded from open sources reflect this, the true scale of the fighting – and casualties suffered by the armed forces – has been obscured by a media blackout in Rakhine, preventing a more accurate recording of events therein.”

For the same time period, JTIC recorded an 11.8% increase in the number of NSAG attacks across Asia-Pacific.