At least fourteen Myanmar Border Guard Police personnel sought refuge in Bangladesh after facing an attack by rebel forces on Saturday.
The personnel have taken shelter in a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) outpost located in Tumburu, Bandarban, where their weapons and ammunition have been relinquished to the BGB.
Escalating tensions along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border have reached a critical point, with the Arakan Army (AA) capturing a Myanmar guard outpost in a night-long battle.
The incident occurred in Myanmar guard’s camp no 34, located across the border from Naikhongchhari in Bandarban and Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, causing significant distress in nearby villages due to constant shelling and mortar fire.
Lt Col Abdullah Al Masruque, the commander of BGB-34 Battalion in Cox’s Bazar, reported that the ongoing infighting in Myanmar has intensified, leading to members of the Myanmar security forces illegally entering Bangladeshi territory.
As an immediate response, BGB members cordoned off the security force members, disarmed them, and confiscated their arms and ammunition.
“We are now taking steps as per international norms,” Lt Col Masruque said.
However, the exact number of members who entered Bangladesh remains uncertain due to the volatile situation.
Reports indicate that the Arakan Army launched the attack on the Myanmar border guard outpost on Saturday night, leading to an intense confrontation.
In the course of the battle, 14 members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police fled to Bangladesh for refuge. Two of the personnel seeking shelter were injured.
Sources on the border area reveal that the Arakan Army, an armed rebel group, has successfully captured almost all camps of Myanmar's ruling junta forces across the Naikhongchhari border in the ongoing conflict in Rakhine.
The situation is critical, with the Arakan Army seeking to gain control of the remaining camps currently occupied by Myanmar junta forces, including the notable Dhekibunia camp.
Locals in the affected areas reported extensive gunfire, mortar shells, and explosive rocket launcher fire between Myanmar’s security forces and the Arakan Army (AA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) along the border near the Naf River.
This ongoing conflict has caused widespread panic among the locals, with reports of injuries, including Prabir Dhar, a 65-year-old Bangladeshi national who was shot in the hand.
In response to the escalating violence, authorities have taken precautionary measures, closing five schools in the affected areas. The sound of mortar shells and gunfire continues along the outskirts of Myanmar near the Ghumdum border area of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban.
The tense border situation has prompted around 3,000 residents from two villages along the Tumburu border in Bandarban to seek refuge elsewhere.