Syed, a young Rohingya refugee, revealed that he was forcibly conscripted by a Rohingya armed group operating within the refugee camps in June. He was then sent to fight against the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel faction engaged in a bitter struggle against Myanmar’s military junta to establish an autonomous region. Along with other Rohingya recruits, Syed was made to serve as a porter, tasked with digging ditches and fetching water for Myanmar troops, who were bracing against advancing AA forces.

“They didn’t give us any training,” Syed recounted. On a patrol to a Muslim village, he managed to escape his captors and cross back into Bangladesh. According to figures shared by the UN refugee agency with the Bangladeshi government, he is just one of around 14,000 Rohingya who have fled the fighting in recent months as clashes near the border have intensified.

Recruitment Tied to Myanmar Army Concessions

Experts estimate that at least 2,000 Rohingya have been forcibly recruited from the refugee camps in Bangladesh this year, in addition to numerous Rohingya residing in Myanmar who were similarly conscripted. Many of those pressed into service in Bangladesh claim they were coerced by armed groups, allegedly as part of an arrangement with Myanmar’s junta, which may permit the Rohingya to return to their ancestral homes in exchange for their participation in the conflict.

Mohammad Johar, a 22-year-old refugee, reported a personal tragedy during his escape from Maungdaw, a border town. “The Myanmar military cannot keep up with the AA... they both bomb each other, but it is the Muslims who are dying,” Johar said, blaming the AA for the drone strike that killed his brother-in-law earlier this month. Both the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), the two primary armed groups active in the refugee camps, have denied allegations of conscripting refugees into their ranks.

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