No bloody corridor: Bangladesh Army chief's warning makes Yunus govt blink

Bangladesh's interim government of Muhammad Yunus has made a sharp U-turn on its proposal for a "humanitarian" corridor to Myanmar's Rakhine State after a stern warning from Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman. The Bangladesh Army chief called it a "bloody corridor", and pushed back after Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain unilaterally announced that the interim government had agreed to the UN-proposed Rakhine corridor. There is a growing concern in Bangladesh that the corridor would impede upon its sovereignty and is being pushed by the US for geostrategic gains.

Despite the concerns over the Rakhine corridor, Bangladesh observers suggest that Yunus and his loyalists are giving in to the US demand to stay on in power without elections.

"The Bangladesh Army will never be involved in any activity that is harmful to sovereignty. Nor will anyone be allowed to do so," Waker-Uz-Zaman said in his warning to the Yunus-led interim government on Wednesday.

" interest must come first in any action. Whatever is done must be guided by political consensus," Zaman was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

Zaman also asked Yunus to hold early elections, stop interfering in military matters, and keep the army in a loop on key issues, like the Rakhine Corridor project.

The corridor, starting in eastern Bangladesh's Chattogram Division, was considered as a route to deliver aid to civilians in the war-torn Rakhine region of Myanmar. However, it sparked controversy after several voices from within Bangladesh, including Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) and a few Left parties, strongly objected to it, calling it "unilateral and illegal".

Irrespective of the criticism, the interim government had pushed for the corridor, which some experts viewed as part of an American power play to counter China.

"In reality, the US and UN initiative has substantial, multifaceted security concerns, including a severe risk to sovereignty for Bangladesh and Myanmar," according to an opinion piece in the Dhaka Tribune.

"There are fears that humanitarian aid could be used as a pretext for foreign influence, and this corridor could serve as a channel for military logistics or intelligence," according to the article.

YUNUS GOVT GOES BACK ON RAKHINE CORRIDOR

Following General Zaman's stern warning, Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, who was appointed by Yunus just weeks ago, clarified that the government had not discussed the corridor with any party and would not do so in future.

"The UN only asked if Bangladesh could assist in sending humanitarian aid near the border, to be delivered to the Rakhine state by UN partners. We said we can consider," Khalilur Rahman was quoted as saying by the Dhaka-based Daily Star.

Rahman is also Yunus' High Representative for Rohingya issues and priority matters.

A crackdown by the Burmese Junta and the civil war in the Rakhine state of Myanmar pushed the Rohingya into Bangladesh.

The hasty retreat by Khalilur Rahman, who is seen as a confidante of Yunus, reverses an earlier statement made on the Rakhine corridor by Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.

"The UN wants to create a humanitarian corridor through Bangladesh to send humanitarian aid to Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The transitional government has agreed in principle to this, subject to conditions," Hossain was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune in April. He, however, did not mention the conditions.

The proposed Rakhine corridor is aimed at delivery of aid to Myanmar's Rakhine State, where over 2 million people are facing famine due to a civil war and an earthquake. While the region is in turmoil, Rohingya, an ethnic and religious minority in Myanmar, have fled in lakhs to Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh currently hosts approximately 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, with 1,18,000 settling in Chattogram division's Cox's Bazar in 2024. The situation has also given rise to security concerns, including risks of arms smuggling and increased criminal activity.

While the Yunus government's U-turn was triggered by General Zaman's verbal blitz, the opposition had also pushed back strongly on the Rakhine corridor.

BNP, EXPERTS HAD SLAMMED YUNUS GOVT ON RAKHINE CORRIDOR

The Rakhine corridor had ignited controversy with the Bangladesh ist Party (BNP), led by acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who vehemently opposed the interim government's decision.

Earlier in May, Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, said in a video message, "The interim government's decision to allow the corridor was undemocratic and had been taken while the public and political parties were kept in the dark".

"The interests of the people of the country must be ensured, not those of foreign nations. All these considerations should be made by a democratically elected parliament that represents the people," hinting that the interim government of Yunus was not democratically elected and does not have a mandate to take decisions on such matters.

Army chief Zaman also insisted on political consensus on such issues.

Veteran journalist Subir Bhaumik, in an India Today opinion piece, claimed that the Rakhine corridor was seen as part of an American power play to block China's land-to-sea access granted by the Burmese military junta.

Former Bangladeshi diplomat Munshi Faiz Ahmad also issued a stark warning about the corridor into Myanmar's Rakhine state, saying it could risk the nation falling into a foreign trap.

"The strength of our friendship with China lies in mutual respect and non-interference... We must retain absolute control over any such corridor. Without it, we should categorically reject the idea... Otherwise, we risk walking into a noose that could bind us in ways we cannot afford," Munshi Faiz Ahmad told the Dhaka-based BDNews24.

The Yunus government's hasty reversal on the Rakhine corridor reveals the shaky ground it stands on, while also projecting the army, arguably the only credible and secular institution left in Dhaka, as the unbiased guardian of Bangladesh. The government's cautious recalibration now signals a desire to avoid confrontation with a military that is already showing signs of losing patience with it.