Secret military training camps turn Bangladesh refugees into Myanmar fighters

In a surprising turn-of-events Rafiq‚ a 32-year old refugee crossed Myanmar border this summer leaving behind his temporary home in Coxʼs Bazar refugee settlement: his goal was to join the on-going civil-war

The mass-scale recruitment has drawn between 3‚000 and 5‚000 fighters from the worlds largest refugee camp. Many join their former enemies - Myanmar military which offers money training and (most importantly) citizenship papers to new recruits. Some fighters like Abu Afna describe how they share living quarters with the same soldiers who once forced them to flee

The complex web of alliances puts Rohingya militants against the Arakan Army - a Buddhist-majority group thats trying to take control of the Rakhine state. The situation gets more complicated as some Bangladesh officials support this resistance thinking its the only way for refugees to return home

• RSO and ARSA are main militant groups
• Fighters as young as 13 get recruited
• Many join unwillingly
• Violence disrupts humanitarian work

The refugee camps face growing problems with safety and resources. Sharit Ullah who escaped fighting in Maungdaw with his family says: “We have nothing here; we live in fear.“ The camps where 30k children are born each year dont allow people to work which pushes many towards militant groups

The six-month battle for Maungdaw shows how Rohingya fighters slow down Arakan Armyʼs advance. Earlier attempts by Bangladesh to start peace talks failed‚ and now the fighting continues as both sides try to control the border-region