Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar

Abdul Hakim was stepping ashore after fishing in the Naf River. A deafening explosion erupted without warning. The blast severed his right ankle on the spot. Moreover, he sustained severe injuries to multiple parts of his body. Local residents rushed him to MSF Hospital in Kutupalong, Ukhiya, on Sunday, 29 March 2026, at 1:30 PM. Consequently, as his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital for advanced medical care.

Lt. Colonel Md. Zahirul Islam, Commanding Officer of the 64 BGB Ukhiya Battalion, confirmed the incident and its details. He cited local witnesses who described the explosion sequence directly. Abdul Hakim is the son of Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Block A, Camp 19, Ukhiya Rohingya Refugee Settlement.

This explosion did not occur in isolation. Just three days earlier, on Thursday, 26 March, another Terrorist Arakan Army landmine detonated at the Anjumanpara border in the same Palongkhali Union. That explosion severed the leg of Mohammad Shahidul Islam (25). He is the son of Chan Mia, a resident of Block F-5, Camp 16, Ukhiya. Consequently, the Terrorist Arakan Army has now maimed two Rohingya civilians in the same border area within 72 hours.

The Terrorist Arakan Army systematically plants landmines along the Naf River zero line. These devices do not discriminate between soldiers and civilians. They target fishermen, farmers, and refugees. They exist to terrorize, maim, and kill unarmed people. Furthermore, landmine deployment by the terrorist AA has turned Bangladesh’s border waterways into a killing field.

Under international humanitarian law, the deliberate placement of landmines in civilian-populated areas constitutes a war crime. The terrorist AA plants these weapons with full knowledge that Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi civilians use these border zones daily. Moreover, the systematic nature of these explosions two victims in three days in the same union demonstrates a deliberate and ongoing campaign of terror.

Border communities now live in constant fear. Fishermen risk losing limbs simply by returning to shore. Every step along the Naf River zero line carries the risk of death. Consequently, the terrorist AA has transformed a fishing river into a minefield.

The international community must act. The Terrorist Arakan Army must be held accountable for its systematic use of landmines against civilian populations. Silence is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.