Artillery shells fired from Myanmar have forced connections between the island and the mainland to be suspended. According to local sources, it is unclear whether the projectiles came from the military or from members of the Arakan Army, the local ethnic militia that appears to be on the verge of reconquering the entire Burmese Rakhine state. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has deployed ships from its Navy.
Dhaka () – For days the inhabitants of the island of St. Martin, on the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, have not received water or food due to the fighting in the Burmese state of Rakhine, where the military junta in power is losing ground to the local militia of the Arakan Army.
St. Martin Island is located near Cox’s Bazar, about nine kilometers from Teknaf sub-district. Tourists and supplies often travel along the Naf River to reach the island, which is also located just eight kilometers from the Burmese coast.
Since the beginning of the month there have been several violent episodes that have affected some Bangladeshi vessels. Within a few days, a cargo ship, a ship carrying officials and a motorboat were attacked. Although no injuries were reported, the local administration decided to suspend travel on that route, which in practice has left nearly 10,000 inhabitants living on the island isolated.
A local resident explained that if travel between the island and the mainland does not resume regularly, there is a risk of a serious food crisis: “A ship with food and other essential goods has arrived” sent by the Cox’s Bazar district administration – he said -, but if the ships do not circulate normally again, the crisis will not be resolved.”
Attempts in recent days to reestablish connections with the mainland have been unsuccessful: ships attempting another route reported encountering rough seas, while fishing boats attempting to navigate the Naf River were again attacked by shells. artillery. But the local sources report It is not clear whether the shooters were Burmese border guards under the military junta or members of ethnic militias.
The situation continues to worsen: residents of the Teknaf subdistrict reported that in some neighborhoods people could not sleep due to frequent explosions, while fighter planes and helicopters, probably belonging to the military junta, flew over nearby areas.
The Arakan Army appears to be on the verge of reconquering all of Rakhine territory. The United Arakan League, a political organization on which the militia fighting for its autonomy depends, has asked the inhabitants from Maungdaw township (mostly civilians belonging to the Rohingya minority) to evacuate the area, and stated that the remaining military bases of the coup junta are already surrounded. According to analysts, the Arakan Army is likely to target the Rakhine capital of Sittwe in the coming days.
In October last year, a group made up of three ethnic militias, including the Arakan Army, launched a joint offensive against the positions of the military responsible for the coup d’état that led to the civil war in February 2021. Since then the Burmese army has suffered numerous losses and resistance groups have regained control of peripheral areas, on the border with other countries.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has deployed its warships around the island of St. Martin and has activated diplomatic channels. According to Burmese regime media, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Myanmar met with the coup junta’s foreign minister to “discuss cooperation for peace and stability” along the border.
The Bangladeshi opposition has criticized the government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for its “silence” on the issue. “What Myanmar has done in recent days in the St. Martin area is a definitive threat to the country’s sovereignty.”
In fact, the island has been the center of a series of controversies for a long time. In 2019, Dhaka claimed Naypyidaw for the island’s inclusion on Myanmar’s official maps. That same year, Bangladesh sent around a hundred border guards to the island when the Burmese government built steel structures on the Naf River without informing Dhaka.
More recently, Prime Minister Hasina several times accused the opposition of wanting to sell the atoll to foreign powers, particularly the United States, for the construction of a military base. Claims that Washington has always denied.
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