Rohingya leader Mohibullah shot to death

Unidentified assailants shot Rohingya leader Mohibullah to death in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp on Wednesday, police said.

Mohib Ullah was talking with other refugee leaders outside his office after attending evening prayers at around 8 pm (0000 AEST Thursday) when at least four assailants came to the spot and shot him dead

Cox’s Bazar additional police super Rafiqul Islam said Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights chairman Mohibullah was talking with other refugee leaders outside his office after attending evening prayers at around 8 pm (0000 AEST Thursday) when at least four assailants came to the spot and shot him dead.

"Four to five unidentified assailants shot him from close range. He was declared dead at a MSF hospital in the camp," he added.

“So far we got the news of only his death. There is no information of any other causality in the incident,” he said.

He said police and the Armed Police Battalion, which is tasked with ensuring security for the country's 34 Rohingya camps, have stepped up security, deploying hundreds more armed officers.

No one has been arrested yet, according to Mr Islam.

"We are conducting raids in the area," he said, adding Mr Ullah had not alerted police of any threats from any group.

No one has claimed responsibility, but a Rohingya leader told AFP that Mr Ullah was killed by the extremist group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which was behind several attacks on Myanmar security posts in recent years

"It is a work of ARSA," he said.

Many Rohingya leaders have gone into hiding after Mr Ullah's killing.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was "deeply saddened by the killing of Mr Mohib Ullah, a prominent Rohingya refugee representative".

"We are in continuous contact with law enforcement authorities in charge of maintaining peace and security in the camps," the UNHCR spokesperson in Bangladesh, Regina De La Portilla

School teacher Mohibullah fled to Bangladesh in 2017 and formed the organization with several hundred volunteers in the same year to lead the causes of the refugees.

He came to prominence when he represented Rohingyas during meetings with high-level delegations in the camp in the following years.

He also visited Geneva in 2019 to represent the group.

Around 740,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since Aug.25, 2017, following a military crackdown.