Rohingya youth killed in exchange of fire between two armed groups
A gunfight broke out between two armed groups in Myanmar at the Ukhia Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. A Rohingya youth died after being shot. The incident took place at B-21 Block of the Ukhia Kutupalong refugee camp around 9:30 pm on Saturday.
The deceased youth has been identified as Mohammad Rafiq (33). He is the son of Shamsu Alam, a resident of B-21 Block of the refugee camp. Ukhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Arif Hossain confirmed this information to Prothom Alo. Quoting Rohingya leaders, the OC said that the gunfight broke out due to a dispute over dominance between two armed groups in Myanmar, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO). Rafiq died after being shot in the right side of the chest.
OC Arif Hossain said that the injured youth was rescued by the Rohingyas in the vicinity and taken to a private hospital in the nearby Balukhali refugee camp (Camp-9) where the doctor declared him dead. The body of the deceased youth has been recovered and sent to the morgue of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for autopsy.
A Rohingya leader of the camp, who did not want to be named, said that there is a dispute between two armed groups in Myanmar over the dominance of the refugee camp. When a Rohingya armed group of 10-12 people from ARSA entered the refugee camp around 9 pm, the RSO members tried to resist. This led to gunfire and clashes between the two sides. Rafiq was shot at during this time.
Police and Rohingya leaders said that earlier on the night of March 4, terrorists hacked and killed Rohingya leader and refugee camp head boatman Mohammad Nur while he was returning home after Tarawih prayers at the Tanjimarkhola refugee camp in Ukhia. Two killings in a few days have caused panic among ordinary Rohingya in the refugee camps.
Currently, the number of Rohingya registered in 33 refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf is more than 1.3 million. Of these, 800,000 arrived in the months after August 25, 2027. In the last 8 years, not a single Rohingya has been able to be sent back to Myanmar.
