Bangladesh: Rohingya refugee killed in rival clashes

Bangladesh, Help Refugees, Human Rights, Myanmar, Refugees issues, Religious Rights

At least one Rohingya refugee was killed and 10 others injured on Sunday in a gunfight between two rival factions in Cox’s Bazar, a sprawling refugee camp in Bangladesh, an official and sources said.

“Some rival groups among Rohingya refugees are involved in a power struggle,” Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told Anadolu Agency.

The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Nur Hakim, and his body has been sent for autopsy, according to sources.

The injured, meanwhile, have been shifted to a camp-based medical facility run by Save the Children, they added.

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Similar clashes have been witnessed in the past as well, and Talukder said, “we have asked the local administration to deploy more security forces.”

Last month, Dhaka started relocating Rohingyas to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal. So far, at least 3,500 have been transported to Bhasan Char, an island said to be flood-prone.

The move has been criticized by the international community, which has urged Bangladesh to halt the move until a study is done on the habitability of the island. It has also been accused of moving them to the island against their will.

Currently, more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees are living in Bangladesh’s makeshift settlements. At least 750,000 refugees fled Rakhine state after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.