Panic grips border residents as gunfire echoes from Myanmar

Residents living along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari upazila have reported hearing fresh gunfire overnight from across the frontier, sparking fear and panic.

Locals in Ghumdhum, which borders Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya Upazila, said the sound of gunshots rang out intermittently between Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday.

Some also said they heard a loud blast, which they suspected was from a mortar shell, reports bdnews24.com.

“We suddenly heard bursts of gunfire around 9:30 pm and were terrified. Later, around 2:00 am, there was a huge explosion,” said Mostakim Aziz, a shopkeeper from Tumbru Bazar near the border.

Another resident, Mohammad Shafi, said he heard 30 to 40 rounds fired in quick succession, sending his family into panic.

Locals believe the gunfire came from an area inside Myanmar where the ethnic Rakhine insurgents, the Arakan Army, have two camps. The group seized the sites from Myanmar’s military in February 2024. Residents had also reported hearing gunfire there on Aug 10.

The 34th Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which oversees the area, could not be reached for comment.

After the previous incident on Aug 10, the battalion’s commander Lt Col SM Khairul Alam said the fighting had taken place around 300 metres inside Myanmar and had no impact on Bangladesh.

He suggested it may have been a clash between the Arakan Army and other separatist groups such as ARSA or RSO.

The Arakan Army, which is fighting Myanmar’s military and rival groups, claimed in December 2024 that it had taken full control of the 271km stretch of Rakhine territory along the Bangladesh border. The group has maintained control of the area since then.