There were three deaths among the Rohingyas refugees in a dispute between rival militant groups fighting for control of refugee camps in Bangladesh, which also injured seven others.
Majority of these stateless Muslim immigrants live in huge overcrowded camps. Skirmishes between armed factions have taken place more often this year due to forced conscription of refugees into Myanmar’s civil war.
According to police at least 100 members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Monday attacked a group of refugees who were conducting security patrol in a camp situated in Cox’s Bazar district.
“Those Rohingyas standing around the ARSA camp were cut off from the crowd by their own kind when they decided to attack them,” explained Mohammed Iqbal, an Armed Police Battalion commanding officer responsible for maintaining peace within the camps.
He added: “The ARSA members killed three Rohingyas and injured seven others before attacking the police when they came at the scene.”
A Rohingya community leader said on condition that his name not be used that all three deceased men belonged to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO).
“The RSOs are being killed by ARSA every day and night. They killed Three RSOs yesterday while no Rohingya is safe here because ARSA and RSO have made this place hell for Rohinyga Refugees”, he remarked.
Since April there has been deteriorating security situation inside Rohingya camps. The Rakhine state is home to about 600,000 Rohingyas; it is also where groups like Arakan Army seek greater autonomy for Myanmar as opposed to other states where one finds several Burmese citizens who are not recognized by country’s government.
These groups argue that in order to fight new enemy, Rohingya must join hands with those people who used to be their bitterest enemies within Myanmar army.
The recent recruits have been sent over the border to engage with some separatists known as Arakan rebels or AA which demand greater autonomy for Myanmar’s Rakhine state where there are also some 500,000 Rohingyas.
