A 12-year-old schoolgirl was shot in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district by a stray bullet originating from intense fighting across the border in Myanmar, escalating tensions in the area. The incident occurred in the Whykong area of Teknaf Upazila, close to the area where clashes erupted between Myanmar’s Military and the Rohingya armed group Arakan Army (AA), sending gunfire and explosions into Bangladeshi territory.
The clashes took place at Totar Dwip on the Myanmar side, opposite the Whykong union of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar. According to local reports, the violence erupted on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning, with heavy gunfire, drone attacks, and mortar shells creating widespread panic among residents on both sides of the border.
Afnan, daughter of Mohammad Jasim, was hit by a bullet while playing in front of her house at around 9:40 am on Sunday, and was rushed to a hospital. While initial reports said that the girl died, later local police confirmed that she is receiving treatment at Cox’s Bazar District Hospital, but her condition remains critical.
In response to the incident, outraged locals blocked the Teknaf highway in protest, demanding better border security and protection from the ongoing war in Myanmar. People living near the border fled their houses due to the gunfight and explosions. The local administration urged fishermen and civilians in border areas to stay away from the boundary and maintain high alert.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has heightened patrols along the Naf River, which separates the two countries, but no retaliatory actions have been reported. Meanwhile, at least 52 members of a Rohingya armed group fled across the border into Bangladesh following the clashes, seeking refuge amid the chaos in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They were detained by local police in Teknaf.
Bangladeshis living near the Myanmar border have been suffering from gunfights near the border. Just days earlier, on January 9, a Bangladeshi fisherman, Md. Alamgir was wounded by gunfire from Myanmar while fishing on the Naf River. While there is a ban on fishing in the river, people continue to venture there.
And as the clashes continue, more Rohingyas continue to arrive in Bangladesh, home to over a million Rohingya refugees displaced by years of violence.
