With the government of Mohammad Yunus in Bangladesh announcing elections scheduled to be held in April 2026, the chief advisor has relieved himself from pressure from the Army and political parties. However, this does not imply that the differences between Yunus and the Army, particularly, have vanished. After all, it was the Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman who recently signalled clearly that the interim government should conduct polls in Bangladesh by the end of the year.

Recent events cast doubt on Yunus’s sincerity, suggesting he may have announced the polls merely to cling to power, making a wait-and-watch approach the best policy. Additionally, the presence of the United States in Bangladesh raises more questions than answers. A long-term view of Bangladesh reveals pervasive instability in the landscape. Even if elections are held, the outcome is likely to be confusing, and the new government will take time to settle down.

Differences between the Army and the Yunus administration in Bangladesh have been festering for some time now. They are now out in the open. The Army wants a quick restoration of democracy in Bangladesh through the conduct of elections. Another issue is the ‘humanitarian corridor’ proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit in February. While the chief advisor and his NSA Khalilur Rahman support it, the services led by the Army chief have resisted the idea. This is where the US comes into play. Teams of State Department and military personnel have been flying into Dhaka to set up camps from which aid and assistance would be sent to the Arakan Army in its fight against the Myanmar Army. The arrival of an advance USAF team in Dhaka (9 May 2025) has set the cat among the pigeons in Bangladesh.

The standoff between the Army and the interim government recently witnessed tanks and armoured personnel carriers of the Bangladesh Army being stationed on the streets of Dhaka and other regions to maintain law and order. While the real reason for this move by the Army chief was his differences with the chief........

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