Rohingya refugee leader shot dead in Bangladesh camp by unknown gunmen – National

A world consultant of ethnic Rohingya refugees was shot to dying in a camp in Bangladesh by unknown gunmen late Wednesday, police mentioned.

Mohibullah, who’s in his 40s, was a instructor who emerged as a key refugee chief and a spokesman representing the Muslim ethnic group in worldwide conferences. He visited the White Home in 2019 for a gathering on non secular freedom with then-President Donald Trump and spoke concerning the struggling and persecution confronted by Rohingya in Myanmar.

That very same yr, he was bitterly criticized by Bangladeshi media after he led a large rally of 200,000 refugees to mark the second anniversary of the crackdown by Myanmar’s navy that prompted about 700,000 Rohingya, together with Mohibullah, to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

The unidentified attackers shot Mohibullah on the Kutupalong refugee camp at Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar district, mentioned Naimul Haque, an commander of the Armed Police Battalion in Cox’s Bazar. He was rushed to a hospital the place he was declared useless.

No teams claimed accountability and it was not clear instantly who was behind the assault.

Human Rights Watch known as Mohibullah a significant voice for the Rohingya neighborhood. “He all the time defended the rights of the Rohingya to secure and dignified returns and to have a say within the choices regarding their lives and future. His killing is a stark demonstration of the dangers confronted by these within the camps who converse up for freedom and in opposition to violence,” Meenakshi Ganguly, the rights group’s South Asia director, mentioned in an announcement.

“Mohibullah’s dying undermines not solely the wrestle of Rohingya refugees for better rights and safety within the refugee camps, but in addition their efforts to securely return to their properties in Myanmar. Bangladesh authorities ought to urgently examine Mohibullah’s killing together with different assaults on Rohingya activists within the camps,” she mentioned.

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15 useless, 400 lacking after hearth at Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh: UN

Amnesty Worldwide urged Bangladeshi authorities and the U.N. Refugee Company to work collectively to make sure the safety of individuals within the camps, together with refugees, activists and humanitarian staff from each the Rohingya and local people, a lot of whom have shared considerations about their security.

“His killing sends a chilling impact throughout the complete neighborhood,” mentioned Saad Hammadi, Amnesty Worldwide’s South Asia Campaigner.

Total, Bangladesh has been sheltering greater than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after earlier waves of persecution.