Four Rohingya refugees were killed in a shootout between two rebel groups in Bangladesh, where overcrowded refugee camps have further worsened the security situation.
Local police chief Hussein said that on Tuesday (December 5) night, an hour-long shootout between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and the Rohingya Solidarity Group left "four Rohingya refugees killed and two Rohingya seriously injured."
Neither group immediately commented on the conflict.
Nearly 1 million Rohingya live in refugee camps in Bangladesh, most of whom fled there in 2017 to escape military repression in Myanmar. Dozens of refugee camps have become battlegrounds between rival armed groups, which use these settlements as transit points for drug trafficking and human smuggling.
Since the beginning of the year, Bangladeshi security forces have begun to crack down on the Rakcai Rohingya Salvation Army, which has been used by Rohingya Solidarity to challenge the army's control of the camps.
Refugee camps in Bangladesh have long been marked by violence. **More than 60 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, have been killed in the conflict in refugee camps in Bangladesh this year, according to the report.
Malnutrition is also widespread, with the U.N. food agency saying funding shortfalls this year have forced it to cut its rations by a third.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Sunday (3rd) that it was "alarmed by the continued deterioration of security conditions in refugee camps".
The Rohingya who remain in Myanmar face severe repercussions from the authorities, who have deprived them of citizenship and health care services. Desperate conditions in refugee camps in Myanmar and Bangladesh have prompted thousands of Rohingya to embark on perilous maritime journeys to Southeast Asian countries.