Following a raid in neighboring Bangladesh, the chief of an armed group advocating for a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar has been apprehended and charged under an antiterrorism statute. Ataullah, an ethnic Rohingya and the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), was seized on Monday in Narayanganj District, near Dhaka, according to Bangladeshi authorities. The operation also resulted in the detention of nine additional suspected ARSA members.
The ten individuals were subsequently charged with terrorism-related offenses at a court in Narayanganj and are currently in custody. These coordinated assaults by ARSA on security posts in 2016 and 2017 provided a pretext for a brutal campaign against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, characterized by arson, mass rape, and murder. The Myanmar military’s crackdown, which daraned dozens of Rohingya villages, has been termed a “security operation.”
Over a million Rohingya are now confined to makeshift settlements in Bangladesh, with the camps witnessing a new layer of trauma due to clashes between rival militant groups, including ARSA. These conflicts have radicalized young Rohingya and led to further exploitation by the insurgent groups.
ARSA, previously relatively unknown, gained notoriety when its fighters besieged Myanmar security outposts in 2017, resulting in the deaths of several police and military personnel. The group, founded and raised by Ataullah in Saudi Arabia, preaches that armed rebellion is the only way to counteract the persecution faced by the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
However, in recent years, ARSA has become notorious for its turf battles in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, often involved in drug and human trafficking. Human rights groups have accused ARSA leadership, including Ataullah, of orchestrating grave violations against civilians, which may constitute war crimes.
Concerning the possibility of returning to Myanmar, there is minimal hope for the Rohingya in the near future. The Myanmar military views the Rohingya as foreigners from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, while the ethnic Rakhine insurgency has seized control of much of Rakhine State from the Myanmar military.
The situation for the Rohingya has deteriorated further with cuts in American aid, impacting clinics and essential services in the Bangladesh camps. The complex web of ethnic conflicts in Myanmar and the refugee camps in Bangladesh exemplifies the multifaceted nature of the persecution and violence faced by the Rohingya minority.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/asia/rohingya-arsa-ataullah-arrest.html
