Amid escalating violence, armed conflict, and severe shortages of food and medicine in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, an estimated 118,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh over the past year, according to data from the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).
The fleeing Rohingyas have identified the conflict between the Arakan Army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Rakhine as the main reason behind the increase in Rohingya infiltration.
They further said there has also been a severe shortage of food and medicine in the Myanmar state in the last few months.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, RRRC Additional Secretary Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said on Sunday that as of 1 May, the registration of 118,000 new Rohingya people who have fled Rakhine state has been completed in various shelter camps in Ukhia and Teknaf. They have crossed the border and come to the shelter camps in the last one year, with most in June-July last year.
He further said although food assistance has been provided to the newly arrived Rohingya people, no decision has yet been made on allocating houses to them.
Conflict and Persecution Behind Latest Rohingya Influx
According to various Myanmar media reports, the recent spike in Rohingya influx into Bangladesh stems from violent clashes in Rakhine State, where fighting between the Arakan Army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has intensified.
Although the Arakan Army reportedly took full control of Maungdaw Township on 8 December 2024, ARSA remains active in the area, launching ambushes and engaging in sporadic firefights.
On 28 April, Rakhine-based news outlet Narinjara reported a fresh conflict in Maungdaw’s Pathar village, where ARSA launched an attack on Arakan Army positions. In retaliation, the Arakan Army began combing the area, ordering all shops to shut and restricting access to Maungdaw.
Fleeing Rohingya refugees now sheltering in Bangladesh say they are caught in the crossfire.
Abdul Gafur, who recently arrived at Teknaf’s Shalban refugee camp, said the Arakan Army has been accusing Rohingya civilians of harboring ARSA fighters.
“They are torturing us, evicting us from our homes, looting our rice, and forcing our men to build military barracks,” he told Prothom Alo. He added that those fleeing are often forced to pay bribes of 5,000 kyats at the border.
Another refugee, Amir Hamza, said that on Friday the Arakan Army raided his relatives’ village of Sikderpara, firing blanks and dragging people out of their homes to interrogate them about ARSA support.
In recent weeks, thousands of Rohingya have been forcibly evicted from villages like Lodayng, Uchingjong, Nakpura, and Kulipara, according to multiple refugee testimonies.
Mohammad Jobayer, president of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Humanity, said the Arakan Army’s brutal tactics are longstanding. “Despite the food crisis, the Arakan Army is abusing the Rohingya. Their atrocities are driving people across the border,” he said. He warned that if the current situation continues, not only will repatriation remain impossible, but infiltration will also be impossible to prevent.
Currently, over 1.3 million Rohingya are registered in 33 camps in Ukhia and Teknaf, including the 118,000 new arrivals. Of them, around 800,000 arrived in the months following the military crackdown on 25 August 2017. Despite repeated repatriation efforts, not a single Rohingya refugee has been successfully returned to Myanmar in the past eight years.
Rohingya Entry Through 22 Border Points
From 9:00 am to 3:00 pm yesterday, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard units were observed patrolling a 34-kilometre stretch of the Naf River, which serves as the main natural border between Teknaf and Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
During this period, not a single fishing boat was seen on the river. Local public representatives, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that crossings generally increase after 10:00 pm, when patrol activities subside. It is during these hours that both Rohingya refugees and cross-border smugglers become more active.
Currently, Rohingya arrivals are rising through 22 specific points: four in Ghumdhum Union of Naikkhongchhari, five in Palangkhali Union of Ukhia, and 13 in the Teknaf unions of Hoikyang, Hnila, and Sabrang.
While many of the new arrivals have sought refuge in established camps in Teknaf and Ukhia, a significant number are hiding in local homes and villages. Some have even made perilous sea crossings via trawlers, settling in areas such as Cox’s Bazar, Maheshkhali, Anwara, Banshkhali, and Patenga in Chattogram.
On Saturday, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces arrested 35 Rohingya individuals—including women and children—at the Muslimabad embankment on Patenga beach. According to RAB-7 Senior Assistant Director ARM Mozaffar Hossain, the group had arrived at Patenga Ghat by boat from Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, commander of BGB’s Teknaf-2 battalion, stated that a tight security presence has been maintained along the 45-kilometre border from Hoikyang to St. Martin’s Island.
He claimed that no significant crossings have occurred through this stretch over the past four months. However, he acknowledged that some movement continues through the more remote areas of Ukhia and Naikkhongchhari, especially at night. BGB patrols have since been intensified to curb both irregular entry and drug smuggling.
