26 May 2026 By Foe Aww Yaw / MPA
The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), issued a formal statement today expressing readiness to cooperate with the Bangladeshi government and international counter-terrorism organizations. The move aims to mitigate threats posed by armed Islamist groups—specifically ARSA, ARA, and RSO—operating along the volatile Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
The statement follows a fatal landmine explosion on the morning of May 24 within Naikhongchhari township in Bangladesh’s Bandarban district. The blast killed three innocent local civilians who were farming nearby. The ULA/AA expressed deep condolences to the victims’ families, stating they shared the grief of the tragedy.
“Maintaining stable relations with the Bangladeshi government is strategically vital for the AA given the current military landscape in Arakan State,” a political analyst commented to MPA. “Cross-border incidents like this could be deliberate provocations designed to trap the AA in a diplomatic dilemma, or simply a show of territorial dominance by militant factions hiding along the border.”
Following the incident, the armed factions operating along the border, alongside some allied propaganda outlets, accused the ULA/AA of planting the landmines.
The ULA/AA strongly denied the allegations, emphasizing that the explosion occurred entirely within Bangladeshi territory and has no connection to their operations.
The rebel group pointed out that the area where the blast occurred is a well-known stronghold for these militant groups, who have strictly restricted local ethnic communities from entering or traversing the zone.
According to the AA, these armed factions have capitalized on the ongoing conflict in Rakhine State, where the Arakan Army is fully engaged in defending territory against major offensives by the military junta. Taking advantage of the security vacuum, these groups have allegedly been planting mines, launching ambushes, extorting civilians, and looting livestock along the border corridors for an extended period.
While official diplomatic ties between the government of Bangladesh and the newly emerging Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government are not yet formally established, the AA indicated that positive understandings regarding socio-economic, health, and humanitarian issues affecting border populations were close to being reached. The ULA/AA alleged in its statement that external groups are attempting to disrupt this developing relationship by launching coordinated political attacks and shifting blame onto the resistance movement.
Military observers note that the densely forested and mountainous border terrain remains a long-term challenge regarding landmine contamination, given the presence of multiple active armed factions.
An analyst further suggested that the AA’s public willingness to partner with Dhaka and international anti-terror bodies reflects an effort to assert administrative control and project responsibility akin to a de facto state government.
In light of the persistent security risks, the AA urged local civilians residing near the border to exercise extreme caution against both militant activity and hidden landmines when traveling through remote forested areas.
Editor: Ko San
