Stronger air capability might have prevented Rohingya crisis in Ctg: Army chief

Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman has said the Rohingya crisis might not have emerged had there been stronger air power presence in Cox’s Bazar or Chattogram.

“If we had sufficient air defence capability in the Cox’s Bazar or Chattogram region, perhaps the Rohingya crisis would not have arisen,” he said, noting that Bangladesh had not procured multi-role combat aircraft for a long time.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the ‘Capstone Course 2026/1’ at the National Defence College on Thursday, the army chief stressed that adequate military preparedness is essential even to avoid war.

A total of 45 fellows took part in the course, including five members of parliament, senior military and police officials, academics, physicians, representatives of government and private organisations, diplomats and corporate professionals.

As chief guest, General Waker-Uz-Zaman encouraged participants to engage more with military affairs, including the army, navy and air force, as these are national institutions whose capabilities the public has the right to understand.

Highlighting maritime security, he said the Bangladesh Navy remains crucial for safeguarding sea lines of communication, given the country’s heavy reliance on imports and exports. However, he noted limitations in naval capacity, including a shortage of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), forcing the use of smaller corvettes for patrol duties, which is not cost-effective.

Referring to the Rohingya influx, he said around 750,000 Rohingyas fled violence in Myanmar in August 2017 and entered Bangladesh. The United Nations described the incident as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

Since then, several more waves have arrived, taking the total number of Rohingya refugees in camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar to over 1.1 million—making it the world’s largest refugee settlement. Their prolonged stay has created challenges for the local economy, environment and regional security, while repatriation efforts have stalled due to the situation in Myanmar.

The army chief said timely investment in defence could prevent far greater losses in the future. “If you invest Tk1,000 crore today, you may be able to avoid losses of Tk50,000 crore later,” he said, adding that military preparedness is aimed at deterring conflict, not provoking it.

He also observed that effective foreign policy cannot be implemented without a strong defence system, noting that the two are complementary.

“We want to build a defence force that serves as a credible deterrent to potential adversaries,” he said, adding that accountability is essential for institutional growth.

Waker-Uz-Zaman also raised concerns over the country’s energy security, referring to the recent fuel shortage. He expressed frustration that even after more than five decades of independence, Bangladesh has not developed adequate refining capacity.

“Currently, the Eastern Refinery Limited can process only 10–15% of crude oil demand, forcing the country to import refined fuel at higher prices. Despite cheaper crude oil being available globally, including from Russia, Bangladesh cannot fully utilise it due to limited refining capacity,” he said.

He stressed that energy security has a direct impact on people’s daily lives, especially in the current global context.