The arrest of Ataullah, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, has raised alarms as over a million Rohingya remain displaced in Bangladesh, with a history of violence and trauma affecting their communities.
Arrest of Rohingya Militant Leader Sparks Concern Amid Ongoing Crisis
Arrest of Rohingya Militant Leader Sparks Concern Amid Ongoing Crisis
The leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army was apprehended in Bangladesh under anti-terrorism laws following a series of violent activities connected to the group.
The leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a militant faction representing the Rohingya community from Myanmar, was arrested in Bangladesh on Monday and charged under an anti-terrorism statute. Ataullah, an ethnic Rohingya, was apprehended during a police operation in the Narayanganj District, near Dhaka. Along with him, nine alleged members of ARSA were also detained.
According to local law enforcement, the ten suspects are now in police custody and were formally charged in court under Bangladesh's anti-terrorism law. The actions of ARSA were previously cited as justification for the Myanmar military's brutal campaign of violence against the Rohingya, which resulted in mass displacement and an alarming refugee crisis, prompting the U.S. to categorize the events as genocide.
Today, there are over one million Rohingya trapped in makeshift camps in Bangladesh, which include one of the largest refugee settlements globally. The situation in these camps has been exacerbated by clashes among various militant factions, including ARSA, further entrenching the trauma experienced by the displaced Rohingya population and contributing to the radicalization of their youth.
