A renewed wave of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has triggered a mass exodus of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, with thousands crossing the border daily to escape what they describe as brutal persecution by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine rebel group now locked in fierce conflict with Myanmar’s military junta.
Since November 2023, over 113,000 Rohingyas have reportedly entered Bangladesh, with the majority crossing into Cox’s Bazar since June, according to Md Mizanur Rahman, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC). “They are escaping after facing severe persecution by the Arakan Army,” Rahman stated. “In many cases, their abandoned homes are being taken over by other communities.”
While these accounts are based on refugee testimonies and have not been independently verified, consistent reports indicate killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and forced recruitment into the Arakan Army—either as human shields or laborers for military construction work.
In coordination with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Bangladeshi authorities have recorded the fingerprints of the new arrivals. This brings the total Rohingya population in Bangladesh to over 1.3 million, many of whom had fled earlier waves of violence at the hands of Myanmar’s military junta.
However, concerns are rising over Bangladesh’s capacity to shelter this growing population. “We do not have sufficient space to construct housing for such a large number,” said Rahman. “Moreover, building new shelters may complicate future repatriation efforts by encouraging more Rohingyas to cross the border.”
Md Zubair, chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, directly accused the Arakan Army of grave abuses against the Rohingya community. “They are forcibly recruiting Rohingyas, detaining and torturing those suspected of ties to the junta, and targeting Islamic scholars—many of whom have disappeared,” he said.
Zubair also alleged a demographic shift underway in Rakhine State. “The Arakan Army is evicting Rohingyas from their homes and resettling ethnic Rakhine people from Bangladesh, Nepal, and India into these areas.”
The current crisis stems from a renewed offensive launched by the Arakan Army in November 2023. The rebel group, which claims to represent the ethnic Rakhine community, now controls nearly 80 percent of Rakhine State, including 14 of its 17 townships. This includes the entire 270-kilometre Myanmar-Bangladesh border, now under AA control.
Caught in the crossfire between the junta and the AA, Rohingya civilians report indiscriminate bombings, torture, and killings by both sides. As the Arakan Army consolidates control, reports of targeted violence against Rohingyas by the group have intensified.
Human rights organizations and Rohingya leaders are now calling for urgent international intervention and an independent investigation into the alleged atrocities.
As Bangladesh strains under the weight of another mass influx, the future of the stateless Rohingya people remains uncertain—trapped between war, persecution, and the persistent hope for a safe homeland.
Bob post
