An international representative of ethnic Rohingya refugees was shot to death in a camp in Bangladesh by unknown gunmen late on Wednesday, police said.
Mohib Ullah, who was in his 40s, was a teacher who emerged as a key refugee leader and a spokesman representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings.
He visited the White House in 2019 for a meeting on religious freedom with then-US president Donald Trump, and spoke about the suffering and persecution faced by Rohingya in Myanmar.
Photo: Reuters
That same year, he was bitterly criticized by Bangladeshi media after he led a massive rally of 200,000 refugees to mark the second anniversary of the crackdown by Myanmar’s military that caused about 700,000 Rohingya, including Mohib Ullah, to flee to Bangladesh.
The unidentified attackers shot Mohib Ullah at the Kutupalong refugee camp at Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar District, said Naimul Haque, a commander of the Armed Police Battalion in Cox’s Bazar.
He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
No groups claimed responsibility and it was not clear immediately who was behind the attack.
Mohib Ullah’s brother yesterday blamed militants, saying that they despised his popularity and rights work.
Habib Ullah told reporters that his brother had received death threats from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in the past few months and at least eight men from the group took part in the attack.
“ARSA forces have committed this murder. They often threatened to kill my brother from different [phone] numbers,” he said. “ARSA did not just kill our brother, they killed our great leader.”
Police have said at least four unidentified assailants were involved in the shooting, which happened as Mohib Ullah chatted with other community leaders outside his office.
There was no immediate comment from ARSA.
A senior member of Mohib Ullah’s group also blamed ARSA, saying that it was enraged by his growing popularity in the refugee camps and his work, which gave the “Rohingya a nonviolent, progressive and liberal voice of reason.”
Rights advocate Nur Khan Liton said that Mohib Ullah told him earlier this month that he had received death threats from ARSA after his rights group expanded to all the Rohingya refugee camps.
“His peaceful activism angered ARSA,” Liton told reporters.
Human Rights Watch called Mohib Ullah a vital voice for the Rohingya community.
“He always defended the rights of the Rohingya to safe and dignified returns, and to have a say in the decisions concerning their lives and future,” Human Rights Watch South Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly 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.”
“Mohib Ullah’s death undermines not only the struggle of Rohingya refugees for greater rights and protection in the refugee camps, but also their efforts to safely return to their homes in Myanmar,” Ganguly said. “Bangladesh authorities should urgently investigate Mohib Ullah’s killing along with other attacks on Rohingya activists in the camps.”
Amnesty International condemned the killing and urged Bangladeshi authorities and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to work together to ensure the protection of people in the camps, including refugees, rights advocates and humanitarian workers from the Rohingya and local community, many of whom have shared concerns about their safety.
“Violence in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar has been a growing problem,” Amnesty International South Asia campaigner Saad Hammadi said. “Armed groups operating drug cartels have killed people and held hostages. The authorities must take immediate action to prevent further bloodshed.”
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