Around 300 to 400 Rohingyas are reported to be stuck along the Naf River border as clashes intensify in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Fighting has escalated between the Arakan Army, Rohingya armed groups, and junta forces trying to retake areas they previously lost. At present, the Arakan Army is said to control 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine.

The issue of Rohingya movements near the border came up at a meeting of the National Task Force on Rohingya Affairs, held on August 17 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka. The session was chaired by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam. Officials acknowledged that, despite reinforced patrols, some Rohingyas have managed to slip into Bangladesh.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman told reporters he had no official confirmation of large gatherings but admitted that Myanmar’s military carried out airstrikes in and around Maungdaw three days earlier, worsening the situation.

According to Mohammad Kamal, a community leader from Camp-27 in Cox’s Bazar, over 300 Rohingyas are currently taking shelter near Laldwip in Myanmar, opposite Jaliya Dwip in Bangladesh. “Each day, a few manage to cross into the camps despite the patrols,” he said. “The junta is bombing towns to seize control, while battles between the Arakan Army and Rohingya groups continue. Families caught between these forces are terrified and desperate to escape into Bangladesh.”

He added that the Arakan Army recently detained villagers near Maungdaw on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), meanwhile, said its surveillance has so far prevented illegal entry. “With rough seas blocking boat access, some Rohingyas may be stranded across the frontier,” explained Lt Col Ashiqur Rahman, commander of BGB’s Teknaf-2 Battalion.

Syed Alam, secretary of the Rohingya rights group FDMN-RC, warned that a larger influx could occur if the violence spreads further. He accused the Arakan Army of abuses that have already pushed Rohingyas out of their homes.

In recent weeks, armed clashes involving the Arakan Army and Rohingya groups have also broken out near Naikhongchhari in Bandarban district, across from the border.

Separately, BGB announced that it detained two men near the Ghumdhum frontier. One of them, Ulai Chakma (24) from Dekubuniya village in Myanmar, was described as an Arakan Army associate. The other, Nayan Chakma (30) from Rangamati town in Bangladesh, was also arrested. Both were held on Sunday near Tumbru Pachimkul check-post by BGB Battalion-34.

A BGB statement signed by Lt Col SM Khairul Alam confirmed the arrests and said the two men provided information during questioning. They will be handed over to local police for prosecution under Bangladeshi law.

Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million Rohingyas in crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar. UN and government figures show that another 150,000 arrived in just the past 18 months, fleeing the ongoing battles between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State.