Fresh clashes have erupted between Myanmar’s Arakan Army (AA) and Rohingya armed groups Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), escalating tensions along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border near Bandarban.
Mro residents on the Bangladesh side confirmed that two separate episodes of fighting have taken place since mid-September. They said locals often feel the impact of the cross-border conflict, as gunfire and mortar shells occasionally spill into Bangladeshi territory. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has repeatedly assured that there is no cause for alarm, but residents remain uneasy.
Kurikpata Union Parishad chairman Kratpung Mro said his community is receiving reports of the clashes from relatives across the border, though the exact cause of the renewed fighting remains unclear. Several sources indicated that the conflict stretches from international pillars 34–36 up to 55–57, an area across from Alikadam’s remote Kurukpata in Bandarban, where both sides of the border are home to Mro communities.
Struggle over smuggling routes
According to sources familiar with the border dynamics, the contested zone is a lucrative corridor for cattle and drug smuggling. Armed groups have long vied for control of the area, where enforcement is sporadic. While clashes have previously been linked to competition over smuggling, recent exchanges of fire are being seen as retaliation over broken promises.
A retired security official told TIMES of Bangladesh that AA had once assured that Rohingya and other communities would be given rights after the group consolidated control in Rakhine. “The recent attacks may be a response to those pledges being broken,” he said.
Despite being far weaker in manpower, RSO and ARSA have managed to seize some AA-held camps near the border, from which they occasionally open fire. The former official suggested that the fighting may also be aimed at cutting AA’s supply chains, which have shifted northwards to the Alikadam frontier.
He added that RSO earlier handled AA’s supply runs in exchange for money, but those logistics are now managed by local residents on both sides of the border, cutting off RSO’s revenue stream. “They want to weaken AA by disrupting supply lines, creating fear with gunfire in the process,” he said.
Border security measures
The Myanmar border spans from Naikhyangchhari and Alikadam through Thanchi and Ruma in Bandarban, up to Dhup Pani Chhara in Rangamati. BGB sector administrations are based in Bandarban, Ruma and Alikadam, with independent battalions long deployed in Thanchi’s Bolipara and Naikhyangchhari. Currently, overall control of the frontier is coordinated from Cox’s Bazar.
Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, commanding officer of the BGB’s 30th Battalion in Ramu, said: “These incidents are Myanmar’s internal affairs. However, because they occur near our territory, we are monitoring closely. Our troops remain vigilant.”
He reassured that there is no reason for panic. Even so, many locals feel that stronger, more coordinated administration is needed across the 173-kilometre stretch of the border to enhance security and reduce crime.
