More than 100 members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police have sought refuge in Bangladesh as they flee the ongoing conflict between Myanmar's security forces and the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority army. This marks the first instance of Myanmar forces crossing into Bangladesh to escape the fighting since the alliance of ethnic minority armies launched an offensive against the military government last year.
According to Shariful Islam, spokesperson for Border Guard Bangladesh, the Myanmar forces entered Bangladesh over the past two days during clashes with the Arakan Army in Myanmar's Rakhine state, which shares a border with Bangladesh. The 103 troops surreptitiously entered through the Tombru border in the Bandarban district and have been disarmed and placed in safe locations.
The military government in Myanmar has not issued any immediate comment regarding the situation. However, Bangladeshi media reported on Monday that two Bangladeshis, including a woman, were killed by shelling from Myanmar after a house in Bandarban was hit.
In response to the escalating tensions across the border, Bangladesh's law minister, Anisul Huq, informed Parliament that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed the military and paramilitary border guards to exercise patience. He emphasized that Bangladesh is closely monitoring the situation and appropriate steps will be taken.
The Arakan Army represents the military arm of the Rakhine ethnic minority, which seeks autonomy from Myanmar's central government. Since November, it has launched attacks on military outposts in the western state, resulting in increased conflict. The Arakan Army's actions are part of an alliance known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which launched an offensive last year and successfully gained control over strategic territory in Myanmar's northeastern region, bordering China. This victory was viewed as a significant blow to the military government, which seized power in February 2021 following the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government and has since found itself embroiled in a complex civil war.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance stated on Monday that the Arakan Army had attacked two border outposts in Maungdaw township in Rakhine state, seizing control of one of them on Sunday. Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, confirmed that fighting was ongoing at the second outpost on Monday.
Bangladesh shares a 271-kilometer (168-mile) border with Myanmar and currently hosts over 1 million Muslim Rohingya refugees. These refugees fled from predominantly Buddhist Myanmar beginning in August 2017, following a brutal 'clearance operation' carried out by the military in response to attacks by an insurgent group.
Given the ongoing conflict and the influx of Myanmar forces seeking refuge in Bangladesh, the situation remains highly sensitive and requires continued monitoring. The Bangladeshi government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is carefully assessing the developments and will take appropriate actions to address the escalating tensions along the border.
