Gunshots heard along Teknaf border from Myanmar after 18-month break

After a pause of more than one and a half years, gunfire has once again been heard from across the Naf River in Myanmar, opposite the Hwaikyang border area of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar.

Starting around 11pm on Friday and continuing until early Saturday morning (23 August), residents near the Hwaikyang border said they heard intense and intermittent gunfire coming from the Myanmar side.

"From Friday night until early yesterday morning, we heard repeated bursts of heavy gunfire from the Kumirkhali, Shilkhali, and Saidong areas across the border in Myanmar," said Sirajul Mostofa Chowdhury Lalu, a member of ward-2 of the Hwaikyang union parishad in Teknaf.

Md Hossain, a leader from the Ukhiya Rohingya camp, said, "The atrocities in Rakhine have not ceased, which is why the Rohingya continue to flee [to Bangladesh]. They are trying to save their lives by crossing over here. I have also heard from relatives that a significant number of Rohingyas are gathering near the border."

According to local sources, the gunfire originated from clashes between Myanmar's armed insurgent group, the Arakan Army—which controls parts of Rakhine State—and Rohingya armed groups.

The influx of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar persists, with the latest attempt involving 62 individuals who were intercepted on Friday. Thousands more remain across the border, awaiting an opportunity to enter Bangladesh.

Lt Col Ashikur Rahman, commander of the BBG-2 Teknaf Battalion, said the BGB is actively working to prevent illegal border crossings. "Some people are trying to cross the border illegally, but we are not allowing anyone to enter. We have increased patrols at the points where they are attempting to cross."

Regarding the gunfire, Lt Col Rahman added, "I learned about the gunfire from across the border on Friday night, but it is beyond the jurisdiction of my unit."

Sheikh Ehsan Uddin, upazila nirbahi officer of Teknaf, said he learned about the gunfire through local media. "Our law enforcement personnel are on high alert along the border."

In December 2024, over a year after the resistance against Myanmar's military junta started in October 2023, the rebel group Arakan Army claimed full control of the entire 271-kilometre stretch of the Rakhine region along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, escalating tensions in the area.