Is Bangladesh’s sovereignty at risk from the Rakhine humanitarian corridor?

The United Nations (UN) is pursuing a humanitarian corridor for individuals in Rakhine facing severe famine. This initiative is reported to aim to enhance humanitarian access for vulnerable populations in regions controlled by the military junta and ethnic armed groups, including the Arakan Army (AA) and the Karen National Union, among others. 

With the UN, the United States (US) is actively striving to create the humanitarian corridor leading into Myanmar, due to the escalating humanitarian crisis and, more significantly, with a vested interest in regional influence.

To gain geo-political control in the region, the US has played a significant diplomatic role for many years. Under the guise of the humanitarian corridor proposal in Myanmar, the US has presumably implemented the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022, known as the BURMA Act. 

The BURMA Act enables the US government to pressure Myanmar's military junta with sanctions, support for democracy, and humanitarian aid, promoting human rights. However, the US is plausibly focused on strengthening its influence in Southeast Asia amid China's growing strategic presence. 

Regional players

China and India regard the region, particularly Rakhine and the Bay of Bengal, as strategically significant. 

China’s Belt and Road Initiative encompasses substantial infrastructure developments in Rakhine, such as the Kyaukphyu port. Despite its ostensibly humanitarian purpose, the humanitarian corridor may be perceived by China as a conduit for Western powers to access an area of strategic importance. 

While grounded in international law and humanitarian principles, UN involvement implicitly supports the US and Western efforts to open Myanmar’s interior to external observation and access. Many analysts thought that the US’s initiative for this corridor is a strategic counterweight to China’s and Russia’s growing ties with Myanmar’s junta and a soft power initiative to deliver aid to win the hearts and minds of the people in the country.

Aid gateway through Bangladesh

The proposed humanitarian corridor into Myanmar’s Rakhine state passes through Bangladesh. Multiple reports indicate that due to ongoing conflict and military restrictions making many areas of Myanmar inaccessible, Bangladesh has been selected as a viable route for aid convoys. 

However, both political figures and citizens suggest that the current interim government has invited the US and UN, or simply shown a prompt interest in establishing this humanitarian corridor, in exchange for a guarantee to stay in power with support from the US. 

Many eminent politicians noted that the US has been trying to gain access to the Bay of Bengal for many years. It has also been suggested that a regime change in Bangladesh occurred in alignment with US interests to secure regional geo-political control. 

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.5 million Rohingya people. Bangladesh’s current regime officials described the humanitarian corridor as an opportunity for the return of Rohingya refugees and to stop the influx; however, there is no real logic in resolving the Rohingya issues through the facilitation of a humanitarian corridor.

This could set a precedent for future external interventions beyond the humanitarian context with a major sovereignty threat