The armed groups’ activities in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf have escalated alarmingly, leading to the deaths of 246 Rohingya over the past seven years. Despite numerous efforts, not a single Rohingya has been repatriated to Myanmar during this period. On Sunday, during several assemblies marking the seventh anniversary of the mass Rohingya exodus, Rohingya leaders underscored the urgent need for enhanced security in the camps.
Since 2017, a total of 8,689 Rohingya have been implicated in 3,823 cases, yet identifying and apprehending the accused from among the 1.25 million refugees remains a formidable challenge. According to the police, most of the suspects are hiding in the remote hills of Ukhiya and Teknaf, outside the refugee camps.
Currently, the 33 registered camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf host approximately 1.25 million Rohingya, 800,000 of whom arrived after August 25, 2017. Rohingya leaders have voiced concerns over the security situation, noting that although the camps are surrounded by barbed wire, breaches have been made in over 100 locations. Armed groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), among others, have been exploiting these gaps to enter the camps after dark, conducting terrorist activities. Over the past seven years, ARSA terrorists have killed at least 150 Rohingya leaders, including the prominent leader Mohib Ullah and officials from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). However, the masterminds behind these crimes remain at large. The increasing violence has left not only the Rohingya but also more than 50 NGO and INGO workers involved in refugee services feeling unsafe. Fear of violence has forced NGO workers to leave the camps before 4 PM.
Rising Violence and Active Armed Groups
Mizanur Rahman, Additional Secretary and Commissioner of the Refugee, Relief, and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), acknowledged the rise in targeted killings by Myanmar-based armed groups in the camps. Joint forces are conducting ongoing operations to apprehend terrorists, resulting in the seizure of weapons and ammunition almost daily.
The violence continues unabated. On August 23, a Rohingya named Md. Ismail was shot dead by RSO terrorists in the Modhurchhara camp (Camp-4 Extension) in Ukhiya. He was the son of Rohingya Md. Ismail from Block B-6 of the same camp. He was killed after leaving RSO to join ARSA. On August 13, ARSA terrorists killed Feroz Khan (27), an RSO supporter, in the Balukhali camp (Camp-8 West) in Ukhiya. In a high-profile incident, ARSA terrorists assassinated Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah (48) on September 29, 2021. Mohib Ullah was the chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH). His brother, Habib Ullah, filed a murder case against unidentified terrorists at Ukhiya police station the following day. On June 14, 2023, Ukhiya police filed charges against 29 ARSA leaders and operatives in connection with Mohib Ullah’s murder. However, the primary suspect, ARSA leader Ata Ullah Abu Ammar Jununi, along with six others, was excluded from the charges due to a lack of identifying information.
Less than a month after Mohib Ullah’s murder, on October 22, six madrasa teachers and students were killed in an attack on Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Al Islamia Madrasa and Mosque in Balukhali (Camp-18). ARSA was blamed for the attack. The police and APBn arrested at least 23 people, including three ARSA camp commanders, in connection with these killings.
According to police and Rohingya leaders, 51 clashes and shootouts in the camps over the past eight months have resulted in at least 60 Rohingya deaths. Most of these killings were linked to conflicts between ARSA, RSO, and the Nabi Hossain gang. The clashes left 21 ARSA and five RSO members dead.
Numerous cases, few arrests
Over the past seven years, 246 people have died in the camps due to shootings between rival armed groups and police encounters. However, only 233 cases have been filed, naming 1,648 suspects, including ARSA leader Ata Ullah and Nabi Hossain, a notorious drug trafficker and gang leader. Yet, 70% of the suspects remain at large.
Drug trafficking has also surged in the camps over the past year, with many unemployed Rohingya turning to smuggling and terrorism. Between January and July 2024, 243 Rohingya were named in 160 drug-related cases. In 2023, 408 drug cases were filed. Over the past seven years, 2,479 drug-related cases have been filed, implicating 3,776 individuals, many of whom have yet to be apprehended.
The use of illegal firearms is also on the rise in the camps. Over the past seven years, 856 people have been named in 409 weapons-related cases, but many identified suspects remain beyond the reach of the law. Attacks on police during operations to apprehend terrorists have also continued. In seven such cases, 77 individuals have been named as suspects.
Lieutenant Colonel HM Sajjad Hossain, Commander of RAB-15 in Cox’s Bazar, reported that RAB has so far arrested 123 ARSA operatives, including top terrorists and military commanders, in the camps. The raids have led to the seizure of 58 kilograms of explosives, 78 domestic and foreign-made weapons, a large quantity of grenades, hand mines, and ammunition.
