A leader of a Rohingya refugee camp was killed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh on Feb. 16, according to the Rohingya community in Balukhali refugee camp. The man killed, Adu Rohim, was a 36-year-old community leader living in the camp, located in Ukhia near Cox’s Bazar.
“The ARSA killed him. He was shot dead on his way from a tea shop to the Camp in Charge office (CiC) inside the camp,” a man living in the Balukhali refugee camp told DVB. The motive behind the killing is unknown. The ARSA has yet to respond to the accusation. “A group of five was involved in the shooting. I have heard that they are ARSA members,” another man said. On Jan. 18, around 40 ARSA troops hiding in refugee camps near the Burma-Bangladesh “Zero Line” border buffer zone, were attacked by an allied force of the Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO).
Several ARSA personnel were arrested after the attack. In 2022, at least five people, including three Muslim leaders, were killed by the ARSA, according to the Bangladesh government. The Rohingya militant organization is widely believed to be responsible for the murder of Mohibullah, a Rohingya human rights leader and activist in September 2021.
