Gunfight leaves 5 Rohingya dead in Bangladeshi refugee camp

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – At least five Rohingya men were killed in a deadly gunfight at Ukhiya Rohingya refugee camp in the southeast coast of Bangladesh on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu, commanding officer of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Md Amir Zafar, said firing between two Rohingya groups in the camp led to the death of five people – three on the spot and two in the hospital. APBn is the in-charge force inside the refugee camp.

The incident happened at a time when the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan is visiting the refugee camp to take testimony of the Rohingya genocide survivors on the alleged Myanmar military crimes.

Khan Thursday met with the Rohingya genocide survivors.

According to initial information, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) are locked in a battle to establish supremacy in the camp.

Zafar said all the killed were members of ARSA. These insurgent groups are active in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Another Rohingya leader was stabbed to death on Thursday when the ICC delegation was meeting with Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar, he confirmed.

Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya are living in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in August 2017. While the majority are still in overcrowded camps in southern Cox’s Bazar district, around 30,000 have been shifted to the island of Bhasan Char since late 2020.