Landmines maim villagers on Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier

The forests along Bangladesh’s eastern border with Myanmar have become deadly ground, littered with landmines from a conflict next door. For villagers who cross daily to collect firewood or tend farmland, survival now carries the risk of sudden, life‑changing injury.

Ali Hossain, 40, was gathering wood early last year when an explosion tore away his leg. “I screamed at the top of my voice,” he recalled. Neighbours rushed him to hospital, carrying his severed limb. A year later, he walks with a prosthetic and crutch, but cannot return to his job on a rubber plantation. His two young sons now take on the dangerous task of collecting firewood.

Similar stories echo across Bandarban district. Mohammad Abu Taleb, 47, stepped on a mine after crossing unknowingly into Myanmar. His son dropped out of school to help support the family, while Taleb struggles to afford repairs to his artificial leg. Nurul Amin, 23, lost his leg while trying to bring a cow across the border. His income has collapsed to barely $30 a month.

Myanmar is now considered the world’s deadliest country for landmine casualties. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines reported more than 2,000 victims in 2024, double the year before, with incidents rising sharply near the Bangladesh frontier. Both Myanmar’s military and armed groups such as the Arakan Army are accused of planting mines in contested jungle areas.

Bangladesh’s border guards say at least 28 people were injured by mines last year. In November, one of their own was killed when a blast tore off both his legs. “This cruelty cannot be legitimised,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kafil Uddin Kayes.

Authorities have posted warning signs and red flags, and conduct regular mine‑sweeping operations. But villagers insist warnings offer little protection when livelihoods depend on entering mined forests. “Planting landmines cannot be the solution. It can’t go on like this,” said farmer Dudu Mia.

With more than a million Rohingya refugees already sheltering in Bangladesh, the borderlands remain caught between Myanmar’s military and separatist forces. For communities on the Bangladeshi side, the weapons of a foreign war continue to destroy limbs, lives and futures.

-2026-01-07