Rohingyas want to return to their homeland in Arakan. This time, not through international aid or diplomacy, but through armed struggle. To that end, they are undergoing military training in the jungles near the Bangladesh border. Armed Rohingya groups are leaving the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf to receive training in these remote forested areas. This development poses an increasing security risk for Bangladesh.
According to an investigative report by British daily The Guardian, several banned militant outfits in Bangladesh are assisting the Rohingya groups in their training. The report emerges at a critical time—when Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government on the Rohingya crisis, is in China seeking support. The revelation has raised pressing questions, particularly regarding allegations that Rohingyas are being used against the Arakan Army.
Multiple international reports have further claimed that militants from at least four outlawed Bangladeshi organizations are participating in these training sessions alongside the Rohingya armed groups.
