Border Guard Bangladesh: Stop Backing RSO and ARSA Terrorists inside Bangladesh

Kyaw Zan, Opinion

Global Arakan Network September 19, 2025

A BGB Member on the Border (photocrd)

Bangladesh has long cultivated an image as a peace-loving nation, a secular bulwark against the tide of extremism that often engulfs parts of South Asia. This reputation, carefully built through decades of diplomacy and its role as a humanitarian haven for several hundred thousand of Bangagya (Rohingya) refugees, is now under severe strain.

Recent developments along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, particularly in the volatile Arakan region, reveal a troubling reality: elements within the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are enabling the operations of the Bangagya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and the Arakan Bangagya Salvation Army (ARSA), two groups linked to terrorism.

These organizations exploit Bangladeshi territory, including refugee camps, to launch attacks, smuggle arms, and destabilize the region. The complicity of border officials, driven by radical ideologies and political expediency, undermines Dhaka’s international standing and fuels a cycle of violence that threatens both Bangladesh and its neighbor.

The first issue is the unraveling of Bangladesh’s carefully crafted identity as a nation free from extremist entanglements. Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has positioned itself as a moderate, pluralistic state, distancing itself from theocratic militancy. Its response to the Bangagya crisis—sheltering refugees fleeing Myanmar’s 2017 military crackdown—earned Dhaka widespread praise, reinforcing its image as a compassionate actor on the global stage. Yet, recent actions by radical political forces and government officials along the Arakan border are sounding alarm bells.

RSO Militants Inside Bangladesh (photcrd)

With national elections looming in late 2025, some politicians appear to be pandering to conservative Muslim voters, amplifying anti-Arakanese rhetoric that veers dangerously close to endorsing militant Bangagya groups. This shift is particularly evident in the border regions, where officials have been abetting RSO and ARSA activities. The 271-kilometer frontier, a porous expanse of rivers and jungles, has become a flashpoint.

Reports from local communities suggest that BGB officials, under pressure from radical factions, are allowing militant safe havens to flourish in refugee camps like Kutupalong and along the Naf River. This betrayal of Bangladesh’s secular ethos risks alienating allies like India and the United States, who view ARSA as a security threat, and could tarnish Dhaka’s humanitarian credentials. If this radical drift continues unchecked, Bangladesh may find itself isolated, branded not as a peacekeeper but as a facilitator of chaos.

Compounding this concern is the second issue: the duplicity of Bangladeshi officials who, despite Dhaka’s polished diplomacy, are actively supporting RSO and ARSA. On international platforms, Bangladeshi diplomats project an image of restraint, condemning Myanmar’s junta and advocating for Bangagya repatriation. Yet, on the ground, a different picture emerges. Certain BGB officers, reportedly influenced by extremist Islamic doctrines, are providing logistical and operational support to these terrorist groups. This support manifests in refugee camps, where ARSA and RSO operatives recruit fighters, stockpile weapons, and plan cross-border raids.

Sources in Cox’s Bazar describe safe houses where militants receive forged documents and intelligence from sympathetic officials. The camps, intended as sanctuaries for displaced Bangagya, have become militant strongholds, with ARSA’s propaganda openly circulating on social media. This complicity extends to the border itself, where BGB patrols often fail to intercept RSO and ARSA fighters crossing into Myanmar. Such inaction is not mere oversight; it suggests ideological alignment among some officers, many of whom are products of conservative religious institutions.

ARSA Members Inside Bangladesh (photocrd)

This covert support undermines Dhaka’s public stance, creating a stark disconnect between the capital’s rhetoric and the border’s reality. The international community, including media outlets like BBC and Al Jazeera, must shine a spotlight on this hypocrisy, as it fuels a narrative that Bangladesh is quietly endorsing terrorism under the guise of humanitarianism.

The third and most damning evidence of this crisis is the surge in RSO and ARSA activities, both within Bangladesh and across the Arakan border, with devastating consequences for civilians. Since early 2025, militant operations have intensified, with ARSA launching frequent cross-border attacks on AA camps and innocent communities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

These raids, often executed at dusk, target Rakhine farmers, fishers, traders and Mro herders, leaving a trail of destruction. A July 2025 assault on a Mro village near Maungdaw killed many civilians, with survivors reporting attackers retreating into Bangladesh unscathed. The BGB’s response has been conspicuously absent, with posts near the border failing to log these incursions.

Inside Bangladesh, the situation is equally dire. ARSA and RSO operatives have turned refugee camps into battlegrounds, assassinating suspected informants and extorting traders engaged in small-scale cross-border commerce. These traders, often impoverished locals bartering essentials like medicines and cooking oil, are critical to the survival of border communities. Yet, the BGB has weaponized ARSA and RSO as proxies, using them to arrest or kill these traders under flimsy pretexts, effectively strangling the informal economy.

A particularly egregious tactic involves militants attacking AA camps from Bangladeshi soil, only to vanish under the BGB’s apparent protection. This pattern—hit, retreat, repeat—has inflamed tensions with AA. The human toll is staggering, yet Dhaka’s leadership, preoccupied with electoral politics, has failed to curb these excesses, allowing border officials to operate with impunity.

Further fueling this violence is the BGB’s complicity in the narco-terror nexus that sustains RSO and ARSA. The border is a conduit for illicit drugs, particularly yaba and heroin, smuggled from Myanmar’s Golden Triangle through Yangon and Ayeyarwady to Bangladeshi ports like Cox Bazar and Chittagong. ARSA and RSO participate on these shipments, amassing funds to purchase arms and military uniforms from markets in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong. Eyewitnesses report BGB checkpoints waving through convoys laden with narcotics, with officers pocketing bribes to ignore the trade.

This illicit economy thrives under the BGB’s watch, with officers either ideologically aligned with the militants or corrupted by their profits. While Dhaka’s politicians’ campaign on promises of stability, their border forces enable a cycle of drugs, arms, and terror that undermines national security. The international community, including organizations like Interpol and the UN, must pressure Bangladesh to crack down on these activities, tying foreign aid to tangible border reforms.

The implications of these developments are profound. Bangladesh’s tacit support for RSO and ARSA risks transforming its border into a permanent conflict zone, alienating neighbors and donors alike. India, wary of ARSA’s links to regional jihadist networks, may tighten its own borders, choking Bangladesh’s trade routes. Western nations, which fund much of the Bangagya aid effort, could scale back support if Dhaka is seen as abetting terrorism.

Moreover, the empowerment of RSO and ARSA threatens to radicalize the very refugees Bangladesh claims to protect, turning camps into jihadist enclaves. The solution lies in decisive action: the BGB must dismantle militant safe havens, prosecute complicit officers, and collaborate with the Arakan Army for joint border patrols. Dhaka’s leadership, post-election, must realign with its secular roots, rejecting the populist temptation to court extremist votes. Media scrutiny, from outlets like Reuters to regional platforms, is critical to exposing these failures and galvanizing global pressure.

Mro Civilians Killed by ARSA in July 18, 2024 (Photocrd)

In conclusion, Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. Its border policies, marked by radical complicity and official negligence, are fraying its reputation as a peace-loving nation. The BGB’s support for RSO and ARSA, evidenced by surging militant attacks and unchecked narco-terrorism, demands urgent reform. The international community must hold Dhaka accountable, leveraging diplomatic and economic tools to enforce change. Failure to act risks not only Arakan’s stability but Bangladesh’s own descent into chaos, as the flames of extremism spread unchecked. The time to extinguish this fire is now—before it engulfs the region.