At least six Rohingya refugees killed in Bangladesh camp clashes

Six Rohingya refugees have been killed in Bangladesh following clashes that broke out hours after an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor visited the settlements to gather testimony, police said.

Rohingya camp

Six Rohingya refugees have been killed in Bangladesh following clashes that broke out hours after an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor visited the settlements to gather testimony, police said.

Bangladesh is home to about one million ethnic Rohingya, most of whom fled a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar that is now subject to a genocide investigation at the United Nations court.

This week’s violence was the latest in a series of deadly clashes between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), two rival groups operating in the camps.

Faruq Ahmed, a spokesman for the Armed Police Battalion that looks after security in refugee camps, told the AFP news agency that five people were shot dead in a gunfight before dawn on Friday.

“All five who were killed in the gunfight are members of ARSA, including a commander,” he said, adding that security had been stepped up in the camps as a result.