The Pulse | Diplomacy | South Asia | Southeast Asia

Can Bangladesh Engage the Arakan Army Without Compromising Rohingya Rights?

Engagement may be required, but appeasement is not.

In this Sept. 9, 2017 file photo, hundreds of Rohingya people enter Bangladesh after fleeing from Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Bangladesh is reportedly considering a dialogue between the Myanmar government and the Arakan Army, with a view to facilitating the repatriation of the 1 million Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh. As the Arakan Army occupies significant territory in Rakhine State, there is a real need for effective communication. But communication based on the need of the moment should not be interpreted as political trust, recognition, or partnership. Will engagement with the Arakan Army ensure that Rohingya rights will be safeguarded – or little by little legitimize an armed authority that has allegedly committed serious abuses to the very people Bangladesh is trying to send back? 

The Myanmar military is responsible for the atrocities that occurred in 2017, including killings, mass rape, destruction of villages, and forced displacement. However, the Rohingya community has not been made safe by the end of the military rule in some areas of Rakhine. Instead the actions of the new rulers have caused serious concerns.

The United Nations and Human Rights Watch have accused the Arakan Army of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, forced recruitment, forced labor, extortion, property seizure, and restrictions on movement and employment. The Arakan Army has also faced criticism for its failure to accept the Rohingya’s self-identification and its exclusionary attitude toward them. 

More seriously, the Arakan Army has been accused of attacking Rohingya civilians in the recent conflict. In May 2024, Human Rights Watch reported incidents of civilians being killed and wounded and of homes being destroyed in Hoyyar Siri village in Buthidaung Township. Some of the alleged abuses may be considered war crimes, the organization said. 

The Arakan Army has claimed that it was not responsible, yet survivors are still missing from their homes and being denied justice. These reports establish a basic conundrum for any plan of repatriation. It would be unrealistic to expect the Rohingya to return to places where the de facto government denies their existence, denies their freedom, and is credibly accused of serious human rights violations.

There is a definite need for a lasting solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis, given the urgency of the situation in Bangladesh. Some 1.2 million Rohingya refugees reside in the country and their prolonged stay has put a huge strain on infrastructure, public services, and the environmental, social, and security situation of Cox’s Bazar and the surrounding areas. International humanitarian funding is also becoming increasingly uncertain. 

But desperation is not an excuse to send refugees back to where their lives, freedom, and dignity are not guaranteed. Return without citizenship is not a long-term solution. To return to camps or segregated settlements governed by an authority that will not accept the Rohingya people would be merely relocating the crisis from........

© The Diplomat