Is Bangladesh Backing the Muslim Militants in Northern Arakan?

GAN/ Arakan (Rakhine State) May 18, 2024

Country and Flag of Bangladesh (Photocredit)

In a critical development amid intensifying armed clashes in the Buthidaung and Maungdaw towns of northern Arakan, a report by Rahman on May 17, 2024, claimed that Bangladesh is supporting the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a Muslim militant group, in negotiations with the brutal Myanmar junta along its border. The report mentioned that Ko Ko Linn, the leader of the RSO, and his associates were present at a meeting despite the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defense designating the group as a criminal gang.

What is more concerning is that the RSO is being praised as a beacon of hope and advocacy for the Muslim community in Arakan. In recent negotiations with the junta authorities in Maungdaw, the RSO succeeded in reinstalling the old mosque in the downtown area. The report highlights the RSO as a critical player in the region.

Former Bangladesh's FM with RSO leader (Photocredit)

Conversely, the Arakan Army (AA) was heavily criticized in the report, being portrayed as a threat to regional stability and a destructive, deceitful actor. The AA is accused of perpetuating ongoing suffering in the region.

Bangladesh, a neighbouring country to Arakan, has shown inconsistency in its stance on resolving the refugee crisis along its border. The country has been hosting Muslim extremist groups such as the RSO, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), and Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) for many years. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) recently published an analysis of how competing armed groups inside the refugee camps in Bangladesh pose new threats to the refugee community. The article stated:

“Bangladesh’s support — both tacit and overt — for Rohingya armed actors has facilitated the rise of Rohingya militant groups at the expense of a more moderate, non-violent, and legitimate Rohingya leadership.”

RSO militants (Photocredit)

Indeed, security agencies in Bangladesh, such as the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and National Security Intelligence (NSI), are now overtly cooperating with the RSO and other Islamic extremist groups within the border. When Muslim extremists recruited new fighters for the Myanmar military from the refugee camps, Bangladesh’s security agencies passively supported these activities.