Rohingya militant groups operating in Bangladesh’s refugee camps have committed killings, abductions, torture, and threats against fellow Rohingya refugees, in acts that may constitute war crimes, according to a new report by rights organization Fortify Rights.

The report, released on Tuesday, states that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that certain crimes committed in Bangladesh’s camps are linked to the ongoing armed conflict in Myanmar. This connection, Fortify Rights argues, could meet the legal threshold for war crimes.

Titled “I May Be Killed Any Moment”: Killings, Abductions, Torture, and Other Serious Violations by Rohingya Militant Groups in Bangladesh, the 78-page report urges the Bangladeshi government and international justice bodies—including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar—to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

John Quinley, a director at Fortify Rights, and Navine Murshid, a professor at North South University, were among those who spoke at the report's launch event.

The findings document a pattern of escalating militant violence in the refugee camps, particularly since the assassination of Rohingya leader and human rights activist Mohib Ullah in September 2021. According to the report, the violence has largely gone unchecked, and Bangladesh’s government has failed to adequately protect the refugees from Rohingya-led militant groups.

Based on interviews with 116 sources—including survivors, eyewitnesses, UN officials, aid workers, and even former and current members of militant groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO)—the report contains direct admissions of serious crimes.

Fortify Rights has called for urgent action to curb violence in the camps and ensure accountability for those responsible for the atrocities.

BOB Post