ARSA renews attacks on AA outpost in Maungdaw Twsp

By Admin 03 Jul 2025

DMG Newsroom

3 July 2025, Sittwe

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has renewed attacks on the Arakan Army (AA) in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, after the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned that Muslim armed groups were recruiting new members in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

A clash erupted between ARSA and AA forces near Bandoola Village on the Arakan State-Bangladesh border in the northern part of Maungdaw Township on June 28, locals said.

The fighting broke out after ARSA attacked a military outpost belonging to the Arakan Army near Bandoola Village on the Maungdaw-Kha Maung Seik road near the Bangladesh border, said a man close to the ethnic armed group.

On June 30, ARSA released a video clip on its social media page claiming to have attacked an AA camp near the Bangladesh border.

"I think the ICG report may be correct. The Bangladesh government's blatant disregard for and permission to support Muslim militants, even if it is not directly supporting them, is a grave danger for both regions [Bangladesh and Arakan State]," said a young male political analyst.

The ICG warned in a report on June 18 that several Muslim armed groups are recruiting new members in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to fight the AA.

"I don't think the Muslim armed groups are strong enough to challenge the AA. The ARSA has only been carrying out sporadic attacks on the AA," Thomas Keane, an ICG senior consultant on Myanmar and Bangladesh, told DMG. "The Muslim armed groups are struggling to get support from refugees and cannot use many weapons. The Muslim armed groups also lack the ability to train fighters. But if the Muslim armed groups are not stopped, the Muslim civilians, Bangladesh and the AA will suffer, and the Myanmar military will benefit."

"Rohingya armed group activities on both sides of the border have undermined Dhaka's efforts to engage with the Arakan Army, as the latter believes Bangladesh - and particularly the country's security agencies - is conspiring with its adversaries," the ICG report noted.

Muslim armed groups currently active in the area include the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), and the Rohingya Islamic Mahaz.

Locals say there is concern for the security of the Maungdaw region as ARSA members are moving into Arakan State from Bangladesh and jeopardising stability in the border area.