Muslim armed groups smuggling weapons into Bangladesh

By Admin 15 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

15 October 2025, Sittwe

Muslim armed groups operating out of refugee camps are increasingly involved in the illegal smuggling of weapons into Bangladesh, according to a report by the Bangladesh-based Bangla Press news agency.

Groups including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), and Rohingya Islamic Movement (RIM) are reportedly trafficking large quantities of arms into Bangladesh through various covert routes.

The report also noted that some local ethnic communities in Bangladesh's hilly regions have been drawn into these operations.

Observers point out that the groups currently launching attacks on the Arakan Army (AA) from inside Bangladesh are exclusively Muslim armed organizations - not local tribal forces - indicating that these groups are primarily responsible for the cross-border smuggling networks.

"If you look at what's happening now, it's the Muslim armed groups that are running wild. Even local tribal residents in Bangladesh often fall victim to Bengali militants' violence. When they carry a homemade gun for hunting, the BGB arrests them. But when Muslim armed groups move heavily armed, no one gets caught," said a Bangladesh affairs analyst quoted by Bangla Press.

The report states that these armed groups use seven main routes to smuggle weapons into Bangladesh, overseen by group commanders based in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar District.

Among the main trafficking corridors are Baichfari Road and Ghandam Road in Ramu Township, as well as the Palongkhali and Nayaboniyah routes in Ukhiya Township - all located in southeastern Bangladesh.

An AA-affiliated source said that since the Arakan Army now controls the entire border region on the Myanmar side, Muslim armed groups are obtaining weapons via Myanmar military naval units stationed near St. Martin's Island.

"The junta navy near St. Martin's Island supplies the weapons. They are then smuggled across the border. The BGB knows this. It's only coming out now in the media. But soon they'll try to blame the AA," said a source close to the Arakan Army.

Sources close to the AA claim that the weapons and ammunition currently being used by ARSA and other Muslim armed groups in cross-border clashes with the AA are military-issued arms originally from the Myanmar military.

Analysts warn that this ongoing arms trafficking poses serious risks to Bangladesh's internal security as well as to stability along the Arakan-Bangladesh frontier.

They stress that Bangladesh must take stronger measures to block smuggling routes if it hopes to contain the escalating violence near the border. Failure to do so, they add, could prolong border clashes and further delay the potential repatriation of Muslim refugees to Myanmar.