Rohingya Militancy Risks New Crisis on Bangladesh Border

[geovalin]

UNICEF

 

A fragile calm in the Rohingya refugee camps of Bangladesh is under threat as armed groups regroup and launch attacks against the Arakan Army across the Myanmar border—raising fears of a broader insurgency and jeopardising already slim hopes for refugee repatriation.

 

According to a new report by the International Crisis Group, Rohingya factions long divided by infighting have united in opposition to the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic Rakhine force that recently seized control of northern Rakhine State from Myanmar’s military. The move has sparked renewed recruitment drives in the camps, with militant leaders invoking religious language to rally support for what they now frame as a “jihad” against “non-believers”.

 

The push risks destabilising an already volatile region. Although a Rohingya insurgency stands little chance of defeating the Arakan Army, any escalation could fuel ethnic tensions, increase civilian casualties, and further entrench distrust in Rakhine.

 

Bangladesh’s interim government is now walking a dangerous tightrope. While its security agencies appear to be tolerating the Rohingya unity campaign—perhaps to pressure the Arakan Army into accepting refugee returns—they also risk being seen as complicit in fuelling cross-border conflict. Such perceptions have already strained tentative diplomatic overtures between Dhaka and the Arakan Army.

 

The stakes are high. With over a million Rohingya still stranded in Bangladesh, any breakdown in trust with the Arakan Army—now the de facto authority across the entire border region—would seriously damage prospects for repatriation.

 

Moreover, the insurgency risks casting the Rohingya on the “wrong side” of Myanmar’s broader anti-junta resistance. The Arakan Army is one of the military regime’s fiercest opponents and enjoys wide public support. By attacking it, Rohingya militants could further alienate themselves from the broader population and deepen anti-Rohingya sentiment.

 

Crisis Group warns that urgent action is needed. Bangladesh should curb militant influence in the camps and expand humanitarian trade across the border, while the Arakan Army must show it can govern fairly and open talks with Rohingya representatives.

 

With foreign aid to the camps already drying up, the report concludes that failure to act now risks dragging the region into a new, far more dangerous chapter.

 

-2025-06-20

[Watawattana]

4 hours ago, geovalin said:

The move has sparked renewed recruitment drives in the camps, with militant leaders invoking religious language to rally support for what they now frame as a “jihad” against “non-believers”.

Makes me think again about why China has 'allegedly' cracked down on the Rohingya.  Maybe they are right after all.

[loong]

20 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Makes me think again about why China has 'allegedly' cracked down on the Rohingya.  Maybe they are right after all.

 

China has refugee camps for Rohingya, but I wasn't aware of any cracking down on them. Maybe with so many problems relating to Islam, I missed that?
China have been persecuting Uighurs though.

[placnx]

On 6/20/2025 at 9:16 AM, geovalin said:

Moreover, the insurgency risks casting the Rohingya on the “wrong side” of Myanmar’s broader anti-junta resistance. The Arakan Army is one of the military regime’s fiercest opponents and enjoys wide public support. By attacking it, Rohingya militants could further alienate themselves from the broader population and deepen anti-Rohingya sentiment.

The Rohingya should be on the side of the Arakan Army, in opposing the government that committed genocide on them. Instead it seems that these militants are only seeing opportunity to do a power grab, but in the process undermining the resistance to the junta.