Mohibullah, a prominent Rohingya activist in his late forties, was shot dead when gunmen stormed his shelter in Bangladesh’s Kutupalong refugee camp, on 29 September. Criminal gangs have been blamed for his murder, highlighting the fraught security situation within the camps, which have become rife with gang and drug-related violence.
Just three weeks after Mohibullah’s death, news broke that at least seven people have died in an attack on an Islamic seminary in another Rohingya camp. A further 20 people are thought to have been injured and one man has so far been arrested.
THE PLIGHT OF THE ROHINGYA
The Rohingya Muslims have long-faced systematic discrimination and persecution in the majority-Buddhist Myanmar. In August 2017, a brutal military crackdown was enforced following attacks on Myanmar security forces by the Rohingya insurgency group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The ARSA claims that it was acting in self-defence against Myanmar state repression, however the group is seen as a terrorist organisation by the Myanmar government.
During the military crackdown, entire Rohingya families were killed, villages burned down and brutal acts of sexual violence committed against Rohingya women and girls. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to seek refuge in Bangladesh. A sprawling complex of camps has emerged in the Cox’s Bazar region of south-eastern Bangladesh, which is now home to an estimated 880,000 Rohingya, alongside around 300,000 other previously displaced persons.
A MODERATE VOICE FOR CHANGE
Mohibullah had emerged as a prominent voice within the Rohingya Muslim community residing in the camps. He also represented the Rohingya refugees on the international stage at the White House and United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. He had been advocating for the Rohingya to be guaranteed fundamental human rights to enable their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.
Mohibullah also founded the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), and had been documenting the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, by compiling a list of all those who had died at the hands of the Myanmar military.
The peaceful and moderate approach to Rohingya activism adopted by Mohibullah was not well received by Rohingya insurgency groups. These opposing groups had tried to co-opt him, but he resisted and regularly received threats on his life as a result.
Mohibullah recognised the danger his activism and prominence within the Rohingya and international community had put him in. He had already acknowledged and accepted his eventual killing as an inevitable consequence of his civil leadership, stating “If I die, I’m fine. I will give my life…If suddenly there's an 'accident', no problem. Every community worker gives his life at last” when speaking to Reuters in 2019.
CHAOS IN THE CAMPS
Habibullah, who witnessed the shooting of his brother Mohibullah, blamed the ARSA. The ARSA, however, have denied responsibility for the shooting of Mohibullah, instead placing blame on criminal gangs active in the refugee camps.
There are several rival gangs and militant groups, which include the ARSA and its affiliates, attempting to assert dominance within the camps. Reports of robberies, assaults, rape, and kidnapping are now commonplace among other acts of gang and drug-related violence. Gender-based violence is a particularly worrying concern. Women are especially vulnerable to attacks by male members of extremist groups attempting to enforce conservative gender norms, such as barring women from receiving an education.
Amnesty International reports that at least 2,000 Rohingya refugees have once again been forced to flee, since violence first broke out in the camps in 2019. The situation reached a particularly grave point in October 2020, when a turf war that began between rival gangs escalated to the death of 8 refugees and around a dozen shelters being burned to the ground.
On 22 October, news broke that violent attacks had again ravaged a Rohingya camp. Attacks on an Islamic seminary killed at least seven people - assailants are thought to have shot dead some of the victims and stabbed others. Around 20 further people are thought to have been injured. One man was arrested at the scene, however, the motivation for the attack or any gang affiliation has not yet been established.
BANGLADESH LAUNCH CRACKDOWN ON CAMP VIOLENCE
Police report that almost 40 Rohingya have been arrested from various camps in Cox’s Bazaar in the wake of Mohibullah’s murder. The arrests form part of a wider crackdown on violence within the camps, which has seen an increase in police presence, as well as a hotline set up to receive anonymous tip-offs on criminal activity.
This Bangladeshi crackdown could help stem the prevalence of drug and gang-related violence within the camps in the short term, however, prospects of a sustainable and secure future for the Rohingya remain limited. Tensions are fraught in Myanmar following a military coup earlier this year, which has cast doubt on a possible return of Rohingya refugees to their homeland.
Speaking to Amnesty International, several refugees have expressed concern that the Bangladesh government could use the ongoing violence in the camps as a justification for the relocation of refugees to the remote slit island of Bhashan Char. Such plans have been subject to much controversy, amid reports that the island in the Bay of Bengal is not suitable for safe habitation.
JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT
In another worrying development, local journalists have alleged that since Mohibullah’s shooting, they have faced greater difficulty in reporting on the deteriorating security situation in the camps.
Police and local officials have allegedly barred journalists from reporting on incidents within the camps, made them wait for hours on end to receive information, and blocked access to Mohibullah’s funeral. Bangladesh security forces have denied such allegations. The alleged curb on freedom of the press and information bears a concerning hallmark of the internet shutdown, imposed by Bangladesh authorities in 2019.
PROSPECTS FOR PEACEFUL ACTIVISM
The death of Mohibullah will also leave a void within the refugee community for moderate leadership in advocating for Rohingya human rights. Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement, “his killing is a stark demonstration of the risks faced by those in the camps who speak up for freedom and against violence”.
Many refugees left in the camp are now living in fear, awaiting the outcome of the criminal investigation into Mohibullah’s death. So far, five men have been arrested in connection with the murder, with one gang leader having confessed to directly taking part in the killing. The recent loss of a further seven lives to armed violence will only increase the climate of fear present in the camps. The immediate safety of its refugees is now a grave concern.
Meg is a Research Analyst in the House of Commons Library, specialising in statistics-based research on Defence, Energy and the Environment. She is particularly interested in international relations and bringing light to the human rights abuses perpetrated by governments around the world.