4 Rohingyas killed in fresh violence in Bangladesh refugee camps

Dhaka, Dec 6 (EFE) – At least four Rohingyas were killed and two others were injured during the last 24 hours in fresh incidents of violence at the refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said on Wednesday.

Armed police battalions in charge of security at the camps confirmed the killing of Rohingyas in their respective areas in three separate incidents between 1pm and 11pm on Tuesday.

The police blamed the Rohingya militant outfit Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the killing of the refugees.

In the first incident, police commander Mohammad Iqbal said ARSA criminals shot a Rohingya refugee to death near Madhuchara camp on Tuesday afternoon.

The same criminal gang killed another Rohingya man around 8pm in a neighboring camp, he said.

Another armed police commander Amir Jafar said ARSA members ambushed a group of Rohingyas near Jamtoli camp between 7pm and 8pm, leaving one dead on the spot and three others critically injured.

One of the injured refugees, who was also hacked by the assailants, died at a hospital in the camp, around 11pm, said the police officer.

“It was mainly a clash between ARSA and RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organization). ARSA men attacked RSO members,” said Jafar.

In 2017, ARSA allegedly carried out a series of attacks against security forces in Myanmar’s southern Rakhine province, leading to a brutal retaliatory campaign by the army that resulted in around 774,000 Rohingyas fleeing to Bangladesh, a number that has since increased to nearly a million.

Bangladesh had previously denied the presence of Rohingya militants among the refugees living in crowded camps in the country.

According to the Bangladeshi defense ministry, at least 11 armed groups, including ARSA, are now active within the camps, leading to an increase in crimes, including abduction and murder.

In July, the nonprofit Human Rights Watch reported the deaths of at least 48 Rohingya members in the first half of 2023, mainly at the hands of armed gangs in the camps, surpassing the 40 deaths recorded in 2022.

Crd# EFE News Agency