Safe Zones in Arakan: A Dangerous Fantasy

A policy that risks catastrophe

Advocates of "safe zones" in Arakan State either have short memories or a misplaced belief in miracles. Let's call it what it is: a dangerously naive idea. History has shown us the truth about safe zones - in Rwanda and Bosnia, they became theatres of mass murder, not sanctuaries. And now, some are pushing this failed model onto one of the world's most volatile regions, Rakhine State.

Have they forgotten who we're dealing with? The Myanmar military - a junta with blood-stained hands - isn't suddenly going to embrace humanitarian principles. Even worse, they could exploit these zones as dumping grounds for armed Rohingya insurgents like ARSA and RSO, whom they have co-opted to sow division. Imagine the chaos: vulnerable Rohingya civilians trapped alongside factions with murky loyalties, escalating the very violence these zones are meant to prevent.

And what of the so-called protectors, the Arakan Army? This group has its own history of hostility toward the Rohingya, marked by violence and forced displacement. Safe zones in Rakhine wouldn’t be havens; they’d be powder kegs waiting to explode.

Meanwhile, aid agencies would face the same old barriers: weaponised access to food and medicine, obstruction at every turn. Even if these zones were established, they’d likely end up as overcrowded, underfunded hellholes - not unlike the camps in Cox's Bazar or the IDP camps in Myanmar.

The push for safe zones is more about optics than outcomes. Bangladesh’s advocacy keeps the Rohingya crisis on the international agenda, but the global community must see this for what it is: a distraction from the real issues. Rohingya rights, citizenship, and safety in their homeland must be the focus - not experiments doomed to fail.

Read my full article in today’s Dhaka Tribune to understand why this idea is not just unworkable but a betrayal of the Rohingya’s dignity and future.