Yet another landmine explosion along Bangladesh-Myanmar border killed a man on Tuesday, starkly exposing Bangladesh’s border risks and a troubling lack of readiness with the authorities to secure the frontier.
While the Indian Border Security Force continues to push many people into northern and southwestern Bangladesh through the land border, the latest mine death marks the fifth fatality along Myanmar border in the past 16 days -- between May 24 and June 9.
Four of the deaths were from mine explosions while the other was because of a mortar shell explosion at Ghumdhum union under the Naikhangchhari upazila in Bandarban district on June 2.
On Tuesday morning, a Rohingya youth was killed in a mine explosion at a location two kilometers inside Bangladesh from border near the Reju Amtali border outpost also at Ghumdhum union under Naikhangchhari upazila along Myanmar border.
Md Abdul Khalek, 35, living in the forcibly displaced myanmar nationals camp in Cox’s Bazar, was killed in the incident that took place at about 9:30am, according to the Border Guard Bangladesh.
BGB-34 Battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel SM Khairul Alam said that the place of the incident was known as Shah Alamer Kalabagan.
‘We are raising awareness among people through regular meetings to be cautious while going to the bordering areas because of mine explosion risks. We are also distributing leaflets to this end,’ he added.
The fatal explosion took place two kilometers inside Bangladesh territory, triggering speculations as to how mines could be planted in locations remaining under constant BGB watch.
Bangladesh diplomatic channels are now caught between a rock and a hard place after Myanmar’s rebel armed group Arakan Army successfully captured the major townships of southern Rakhine state in Myanmar and secured full control of the region in late December, 2024.
Over time, landmine explosions have maimed and killed numerous people along the Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier, devastating the normal life and livelihoods of some of the country’s most disadvantaged populations.
People living at Ghumdum union under Naikhangchhari upazila in Bandarban district are severely affected due to the mine explosions and mortar shell explosions.
‘We, the people, living in the bordering areas are now in panic due to the mine explosions. People have much of their cropland in the bordering areas and many of them depended on farming for their livelihood,’ Ghumdhum Union Parishad member Helal Uddin told New Age.
He posed the question that if such people did not go the bordering areas how they would manage their bread and butter.
On May 24, at least three Bangladeshis were killed in a landmine explosion on the Myanmar side of the zero line along the border at Ghumdhum union when they went to collect firewood in the zero line area.
The deceased were Leyara Chakma, 41, son of Sunyong Chakma, Aung Kye Mong, 50, son of Neomong Chakma, and Ching Kye Mong, 40, son of Aimong Chakma, all residents of Bhalukiapara village under Ghumdhum union.
The deaths of the three Chakma people triggered fear among the people of Ghumdum union.
Kanon Chakma, a karbari of Tambru Headmanpara at Ghumdum union, said that local people had been scared of going to bordering areas following the deaths of three people in mine explosions.
‘We are not going to bordering areas and have asked others to do the same. Panic has thus gripped the people living in the bordering areas,’ he added.
At least 36 incidents of mine explosion took place between December 8, 2024 and May 12, 2026 along the bordering areas with Myanmar, according to BGB data.
Of the injured during the period, 21 were Bangladeshis, 16 Rohingyas, one was BGB member, one cattle and one elephant, show BGB data.
Most of these landmine blast incidents took place at Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas in Cox’s Bazar and at Naikhangchhari upazila in Bandarban.
Experts have long been emphasising the need to mine-sweep the stretch, but the measure remains entirely unimplemented — raising questions about Bangladesh’s preparedness and ability to deal with such threats.
BGB member Md Akthar Hossain, who was critically injured in a landmine blast at Tumbru–Baishfari border at Ghumdhum union under Naikhangchhari along the border with Myanmar on October 12, died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on October 31.
The BGB member, hailing from Bhola district, was working under the BGB-34 Battalion in Cox’s Bazar.
Myanmar and Bangladesh share a 271-kilometre-long border while BGB officials said that the Arakan Army currently controlled almost the entire border area on the Myanmar side, adding that Myanmar’s Border Guard Police no longer had any presence there.
Non-government think-tank Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies senior research fellow Md Zahedur Rahman, however, said that the incident of setting up landmines in the Bangladesh territory demonstrated negligence on the part of the BGB.
According to BGB officials, minesweeping is required in bordering areas to prevent such incidents while the BGB said that the paramilitary force does not have the minesweeping capacity.
‘The BGB should strengthen its capacity to mine-sweep and take other measures to protect the border,’ said Zahedur, who retired from the Bangladesh Army in 2018 as a brigadier general.
Authorities have, however, attempted to tackle the issue by merely restricting residents’ access to vulnerable bordering areas, which were being used as the source of income for many.
BGB headquarters deputy director general (Media) Colonel Abul Hasnat Mohamamd Mahmud Azam on Tuesday said that it was not the BGB’s task to conduct minesweeping and the decision would have to be taken at the national level.
‘We can increase surveillance of the mine-affected areas along the Myanmar border and raise awareness among people not to visit areas near borders,’ he said, pointing out the risk of also being captured by Myanmar’s armed rebel group Arakan Army along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
On May 26, Arakan Army’s political wing United League of Arakan in a statement claimed that the mine explosions in Bangladesh were not linked to the Arakan Army.
‘Local civilians on both sides travelling along border have occasionally stepped on mines planted by Islamist militant terrorist organisations such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, the Arakan Rohingya Army and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, resulting in deaths and injuries,’ the statement said.
BGB official Abul Hasnat said that the statement claim was a political rhetoric or nothing else.
Over 13 lakh Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh amid atrocities by the Myanmar military since 2017, according to government data.
The Bangladesh-Myanmar border was turning violent ever since due to the rise of Myanmar’s insurgent groups like the ARSA, RSO and ARA.
During a visit by this correspondent to Ghumdhum union in Bandarban district on May 27, Mohammad Asad lost a leg in mine explosions in 2017 while doing agricultural work in Baishfari area, 200 yards inside Bangladesh along the Myanmar border.
‘I am now facing financial hardship as I have to maintain my wife and three children with the little income from a small tea stall. I can’t go for other work as my leg is damaged,’ he added.
Dhaka University peace and conflict studies department associate professor Muhammad Sazzad Hossain Siddiqui said that it seemed that despite such mine explosions the Bangladesh government was not giving equal priority to the plain land and the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
‘The authorities can trace out mines using drones with proper management and skills. Then, we can work about the next course of actions,’ he added.
Meanwhile, on June 2, a Myanmar adolescent aged 12 living illegally in Bangladesh was killed in an abandoned mortar shell explosion what the BGB claimed just 20 yards inside Myanmar from the zero line, along Naikhangchhari upazila in Bandarban but local people said that it was 100 yards inside Bangladesh.
