Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has forcefully refuted allegations from the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), that it provides support to Rohingya militant groups. In a strongly worded statement, the BGB dismissed the claims as "misleading propaganda" designed to distract from the Arakan Army's own human rights violations.

In a statement issued Monday (September 29) night, the BGB declared it has no ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) or the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO). On the contrary, the force highlighted its track record of acting against these groups, which includes the arrests of several members and a top leader, Ataullah Jununi.

The paramilitary force reiterated that its primary mandate is to secure the nation's borders and manage the significant security and humanitarian challenges linked to the presence of over a million Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

Since the collapse of a fragile ceasefire in Myanmar in late 2023, the BGB has significantly enhanced security along the Naf River and the Bandarban–Cox’s Bazar frontier to prevent any spillover of the conflict. This includes deploying additional troops and modern equipment, reinforcing border outposts, and clearly marking mine-affected areas with red flags to protect civilians.

Extortion and Abuse Allegations Against Arakan Army

Turning the tables, the BGB’s statement leveled serious accusations against the Arakan Army itself. According to Bangladeshi intelligence, the flow of militants is from Myanmar into Bangladesh, not the other way around, a movement often hindered by landmines planted by the AA along the border.

More critically, the BGB accused the AA of systematic abuses against civilians within Rakhine State. Reports indicate that the ethnic armed group is engaged in widespread extortion, persecution, and other abuses targeting the remaining Rohingya population as well as other ethnic minorities like the Mro and Tanchangya. According to the BGB, some victims of this persecution have recently fled into Bangladesh to escape the AA's campaign of extortion and violence, painting a grim picture of the group's conduct in areas under its influence.

The BGB alleged the AA is facing internal crises, including food shortages, desertions, and declining morale. The statement concluded that the ULA's allegations are a deliberate attempt to "divert attention from the Arakan Army’s own record of abuses." The force reaffirmed its commitment to border security and the eventual safe and voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

BOB Post