‘Brutal’: Rohingya Refugees Killed In Bangladesh Camp Shootout

Rohingya refugees are living in dire conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. Rohingya refugees are suffering because of the continuous fighting between two insurgent groups in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is home to around a million members of the stateless and mainly Muslim minority Rohingyas. However, they are not safe in this South Asian nation. 

In the latest sign of deteriorating security in Bangaldesh’s overcrowded relief camps, 4 Rohingya refugees had been killed during a gunfight between two insurgent groups. 

The refugee camps in Bangladesh housing the Rohingya have emerged as a battleground between two insurgent groups. Rohingya refugees have been bearing the consequences of the fight. 

Rohingya Refugees Killed In Bangladesh Camp Shootout

According to the police, 4 Rohingya refugees were killed in the latest refugee camp shootout. Local police chief Shamim Hossain said that a gunfight took place between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) on Tuesday night.

Shamim Hossain told AFP, “Four Rohingya refugees were killed and two Rohingya were seriously injured.”

More than 60 Rohingya refugees have been killed in camp clashes in Bangladesh so far this year. The number also includes women and children. 

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also expressed concern over the continuing deterioration of security conditions in Bangladesh camps.

Meanwhile, about 400 Rohingya refugees have been adrift in two boats on the Andaman Sea for about two weeks. The United Nations called on local authorities to help rescue them.

Babar Baloch, the regional spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said, “There are about 400 children, women and men looking death in the eye if there are no moves to save these desperate souls.”

Plight of Rohingya refugees

Nearly 740,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to the camps in Bangladesh since August 2017. Most refugees try to reach Muslim-dominated Malaysia and Indonesia, hoping to find work and a better life.

Rohingya remaining in Myanmar face severe persecution by authorities. Myanmar security forces have been accused of mass rapes and killings of Rohingya. 

More than 3,570 Rohingya Muslims had left Bangladesh and Myanmar this year. Last week, Bangladesh police officers detained 58 Rohingya refugees, who were trying to start a sea journey to Indonesia. 

Mitra Salima Suryono, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency in Indonesia, said, “The reason why they migrated is to find a safer life.”