Bangladesh summons Myanmar ambassador after border violence

DHAKA: (Web Desk) – Bangladesh summoned Myanmar’s ambassador on Tuesday after gunfire from Myanmar’s civil conflict spilled across the border, injuring a Bangladeshi girl.

Fighting in Rakhine state this month has involved Myanmar junta forces, the Arakan Army, and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) guerrillas. Bangladeshi authorities said around a dozen villages in Cox’s Bazar have been affected.

Twelve-year-old Huzaifa Afnan was hit by a bullet, while a local fisherman lost a leg to a landmine near the border.

In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry condemned the cross-border attacks as a violation of international law and a threat to peaceful neighborly relations.

Myanmar’s ambassador to Bangladesh, U Kyaw Soe Moe, expressed sympathy for the victims during the meeting.

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Afnan’s father, Jasim Uddin, said, “My daughter was supposed to go to school, but now she’s on a ventilator. My heart is bleeding for my baby girl.”

Over a million Rohingya live in refugee camps in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar, particularly following the 2017 military crackdown. ARSA, formed to defend the persecuted Rohingya minority, has clashed with Myanmar troops and rival Arakan Army fighters.

On Monday, Bangladeshi authorities detained 53 ARSA fighters who crossed the border. Most are in jail, while one is hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Many of the detainees previously lived in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps and have a history of crossing into Myanmar, according to local police commander Saiful Islam.