Bangladesh Captures Leader Of Rohingya Rebels Orllah Abu Ammar

JAKARTA - Bangladeshi authorities have arrested the leader of the Rohingya Muslim rebel group, Orallah Abu Ammar Jununi, on charges of murder, illegal entry, sabotage, and militant activity.

The leader of the Rohingya Arakan (ARSA) Liberation Army, and 10 others were arrested on Tuesday during a raid in the Narayanganj district, near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

According to a report by the International Crisis Group, Orallah led ARSA's 2016 violent operations against Myanmar security forces to demand the rights of Rohingya citizens, who are facing persecution in the hands of the majority of Myanmar Buddhists.

He has been identified by analysts as ARSA leaders and appeared in a series of videos claiming responsibility for the attack on Myanmar security forces.

ARSA's attack on border guard posts sparked a military crackdown in Myanmar that forced more than 750,000 Rohingya residents to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in 2017.

Bangladeshi police said the group's activities surpassed the insurgency operation, with ARSA members suspected of involvement in criminal activities such as murder, kidnapping, and smuggling in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh - home to more than one million Rohingya Muslims, the world's largest refugee settlement.

The presence of the group in refugee camps has also led to internal conflict that led to violence, with dozens of deaths from clashes between members of the ARSA and warring factions.

ARSA is also suspected of being behind the assassination of Mohib Ullah in 2021, a prominent Rohingya leader who advocated for the return of refugees to Myanmar. His death was a blow to efforts to resolve the Rohingya crisis peacefully.