Rohingya in Bangladesh pray for release of arrested insurgent leader

DHAKA - Dozens of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh gathered to pray for the early release of a Rohingya insurgent leader arrested this week on charges of murder, illegal entry and militant activities.

Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA),and some others were arrested on Tuesday during a raid near the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

An International Crisis Group report said Ataullah led ARSAs violent campaign in 2016 against Myanmars security forces to reclaim the rights of Rohingya Muslims, who say they face persecution at the hands of Myanmars Buddhist majority.

ARSA attacks on border guard posts led to a military crackdown in Myanmar that prompted more than 750,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017.

Videos shared by Rohingya Muslims living in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh showed men and women gathered at separate meetings to pray for Ataullah.

A government official in Coxs Bazar, the Bangladeshi coastal city that hosts the worlds largest refugee settlement, confirmed that the prayer meetings were held on Wednesday.

ARSA is the only group that has managed to put pressure on the Myanmar government, said Mohammed Taher, a Rohingya refugee. Our voices and our plight have reached the world because of them. If they are working honestly for our cause, they should be allowed to continue.

However, Taher said some people in the camps were happy with Ataullahs arrest because they believed it would improve law and order that has been eroded by factional violence there.

Bangladeshi police said ARSA activities extend beyond insurgent operations, with some members allegedly involved in killings, kidnappings and smuggling within refugee camps in Bangladesh, where over a million Rohingya are sheltering.

ARSAs presence in the camps has also led to violent infighting, with dozens of deaths resulting from clashes between ARSA militants