Rohingya Men Leaving Refugee Camps to Fight in Myanmar
2024-12-04
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1The Rohingya are an ethnic group from Myanmar.
2They have been displaced from that country and many now live in some of the world's largest refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
3Recently, Reuters news agency reported that thousands of Rohingya fighters are coming out of the camps and getting involved in conflicts in the area.
4Reuters spoke to people who said that between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters have joined armed groups.
5One example is 32-year-old Rafiq who fled Myanmar in 2017.
6He left a huge refugee settlement in southern Bangladesh in July.
7He crossed back into the country that he fled with the goal of fighting in its civil war.
8Thousands of Rohingya militants like Rafiq have come from camps with over a million refugees in Cox's Bazar.
9Aid agencies and individuals told Reuters that recruitment by militant groups and violence has increased sharply this year.
10"We need to fight to take back our lands," said Rafiq.
11He spent weeks fighting in Myanmar before returning after he was shot in the leg.
12"There is no other way."
13The Rohingya are mainly a Muslim group.
14They started fleeing in large numbers to Bangladesh in 2016 because of violence there.
15The Rohingya are believed to be the world's largest stateless population.
16However, a rebellion in Myanmar has gained support since the military seized power from democratically elected leaders in 2021.
17The rebellion involves several armed groups inside the country.
18Among them are the Arakan Army ethnic militia which is active in Rakhine State.
19Now, Rohingya fighters are joining the fight on the side of the military government.
20Shahab Enam Khan is an international relations professor at Bangladesh's Jahangirnagar University.
21He said that the two largest Rohingya militant groups are the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
22Khan said they do not appear to have a lot of support in the camps in Cox's Bazar.
23But Khan said dissatisfied refugees could be pulled into militant activities and pushed further into criminal activities.
24That could then involve other countries in the area as well.
25Rohingya militant Abu Afna took a boat from near the camps to Maungdaw in western Myanmar during the mid-year rainy season.
26He said he was housed and armed by the Myanmar military government.
27"Our main enemy isn't the Myanmar government, but the Rakhine community," Abu Afna said.
28The military government provided Rohingya with weapons, training and money, Abu Afna said.
29It also offered the Rohingya a Myanmar citizenship card.
30Citizenship is important to the Rohingya because Myanmar has long denied the group citizenship in Myanmar.
31However, in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, they cannot hold jobs.
32"We didn't go for the money," Abu Afna said. "We wanted the card, nationality."
33A U.N. official and two Rohingya fighters said many were forced to fight in the conflict in Myanmar, including children as young as 13.
34In Rakhine state, militants have struggled to push back the heavily-armed and better prepared Arakan Army.
35But the battle for Maungdaw has continued for six months and Rohingya fighters said they have slowed the rebel offensive.
36Bangladesh tried to organize talks between Rohingya fighters and the Arakan Army earlier this year, but they did not succeed.
37Back in Cox's Bazar, there is unrest in the camps.
38The Rohingya militant groups, the RSO and ARSA, are competing for influence.
39Fighting and shootings are common.
40People in the camps are fearful, and the fighting is disrupting humanitarian efforts.
41John Quinley is director at the human rights group Fortify Rights.
42He said violence was at the highest level since the camps opened in 2017.
43The nonprofit group reported that armed groups have killed at least 60 people this year, while capturing and torturing opponents and using threats "to try to silence their critics."
44Wendy McCance is director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Bangladesh.
45She warned that money given by international groups for the camps might end within 10 years.
46She called for refugees to be given the chance to work for a living.
47If not, there will be many young men without jobs who could join violent groups.
48Sharit Ullah is a Rohingya man who escaped from Maungdaw with his wife and four children in May.
49Now they are in the camps at Cox's Bazar.
50He said he was struggling to get food.
51The former rice and shrimp farmer said his biggest worry is the safety of his family.
52"We have nothing here," he said, "We live in fear."
53I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1The Rohingya are an ethnic group from Myanmar. They have been displaced from that country and many now live in some of the world's largest refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. 2Recently, Reuters news agency reported that thousands of Rohingya fighters are coming out of the camps and getting involved in conflicts in the area. Reuters spoke to people who said that between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters have joined armed groups. 3One example is 32-year-old Rafiq who fled Myanmar in 2017. He left a huge refugee settlement in southern Bangladesh in July. He crossed back into the country that he fled with the goal of fighting in its civil war. 4Thousands of Rohingya militants like Rafiq have come from camps with over a million refugees in Cox's Bazar. Aid agencies and individuals told Reuters that recruitment by militant groups and violence has increased sharply this year. 5"We need to fight to take back our lands," said Rafiq. He spent weeks fighting in Myanmar before returning after he was shot in the leg. 6"There is no other way." 7The Rohingya in Bangladesh 8The Rohingya are mainly a Muslim group. They started fleeing in large numbers to Bangladesh in 2016 because of violence there. The Rohingya are believed to be the world's largest stateless population. 9However, a rebellion in Myanmar has gained support since the military seized power from democratically elected leaders in 2021. The rebellion involves several armed groups inside the country. Among them are the Arakan Army ethnic militia which is active in Rakhine State. Now, Rohingya fighters are joining the fight on the side of the military government. 10Shahab Enam Khan is an international relations professor at Bangladesh's Jahangirnagar University. He said that the two largest Rohingya militant groups are the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Khan said they do not appear to have a lot of support in the camps in Cox's Bazar. 11But Khan said dissatisfied refugees could be pulled into militant activities and pushed further into criminal activities. That could then involve other countries in the area as well. 12Fight for Maungdaw 13Rohingya militant Abu Afna took a boat from near the camps to Maungdaw in western Myanmar during the mid-year rainy season. He said he was housed and armed by the Myanmar military government. 14"Our main enemy isn't the Myanmar government, but the Rakhine community," Abu Afna said. 15The military government provided Rohingya with weapons, training and money, Abu Afna said. It also offered the Rohingya a Myanmar citizenship card. 16Citizenship is important to the Rohingya because Myanmar has long denied the group citizenship in Myanmar. However, in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, they cannot hold jobs. 17"We didn't go for the money," Abu Afna said. "We wanted the card, nationality." 18A U.N. official and two Rohingya fighters said many were forced to fight in the conflict in Myanmar, including children as young as 13. 19Living in fear 20In Rakhine state, militants have struggled to push back the heavily-armed and better prepared Arakan Army. But the battle for Maungdaw has continued for six months and Rohingya fighters said they have slowed the rebel offensive. 21Bangladesh tried to organize talks between Rohingya fighters and the Arakan Army earlier this year, but they did not succeed. 22Back in Cox's Bazar, there is unrest in the camps. The Rohingya militant groups, the RSO and ARSA, are competing for influence. Fighting and shootings are common. People in the camps are fearful, and the fighting is disrupting humanitarian efforts. 23John Quinley is director at the human rights group Fortify Rights. He said violence was at the highest level since the camps opened in 2017. The nonprofit group reported that armed groups have killed at least 60 people this year, while capturing and torturing opponents and using threats "to try to silence their critics." 24Wendy McCance is director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Bangladesh. She warned that money given by international groups for the camps might end within 10 years. She called for refugees to be given the chance to work for a living. If not, there will be many young men without jobs who could join violent groups. 25Sharit Ullah is a Rohingya man who escaped from Maungdaw with his wife and four children in May. Now they are in the camps at Cox's Bazar. He said he was struggling to get food. The former rice and shrimp farmer said his biggest worry is the safety of his family. "We have nothing here," he said, "We live in fear." 26I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Jill Robbins. 27Devjyot Ghoshal,Poppy McPherson reported this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 28_________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30recruit - v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, or the like 31disrupt - v. to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way; to interrupt the normal progress or activity of something 32What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.