The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has dismissed allegations by the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), that it provides support to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO).
In a statement issued on Monday night, BGB called the claims “misleading” and stressed it has no ties with either group. On the contrary, it said, Bangladeshi authorities have acted against the organizations, including arresting several members and top leader Ataullah Jununi.
The paramilitary force reiterated that its mandate is to secure borders, maintain law and order, and manage risks linked to the presence of more than one million Rohingya refugees. Since Myanmar’s ceasefire collapsed in late 2023, BGB has stepped up patrols along the Naf River and the Bandarban–Cox’s Bazar frontier to prevent spill-over violence.
It said additional troops, weapons, and equipment have been deployed, camps reinforced, and mine-affected areas marked with red flags. The force has also conducted awareness campaigns, distributed financial aid, and arranged medical support for families in border areas.
BGB officials pointed to intelligence suggesting militants enter Bangladesh from Myanmar, not the other way around, and added that landmines planted by the AA along the frontier hinder such movements.
The force further alleged that the AA itself is grappling with desertions, food shortages, and declining morale, while reports indicate abuses against Rohingya civilians and minorities such as the Mro and Tanchangya. Some victims, it said, have fled into Bangladesh to escape extortion and persecution.
“The allegations are propaganda aimed at diverting attention from the Arakan Army’s own record of abuses,” BGB said, reaffirming its commitment to border security, humanitarian protection, and efforts toward the safe, voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
