Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
An 18 year old Rohingya youth named Muhammad Ershad died early Saturday morning in one of the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, after a long struggle with injuries and illnesses caused by torture he endured during his detention by the Arakan Army in Arakan State, western Myanmar.
Local sources told Arakan News Agency that Ershad passed away around 5 a.m. after his health deteriorated, despite receiving treatment at Cox’s Bazar Hospital. He had fled Myanmar late last year seeking medical care after his release from detention.
Ershad was arrested on May 29, 2024, by Arakan Army forces while staying in a temporary shelter in the town of Buthidaung. He was taken to prison and held under harsh conditions for two months. According to relatives, he was subjected to severe torture, including electric shocks, brutal beatings, and prolonged deprivation of food.
The sources added that Ershad spent over seven months in detention, including a month at the Nyaung Chaung Detention Center, before being released on December 30, 2024. However, the effects of physical and psychological torture persisted, forcing him to seek refuge once again in Bangladesh, where he underwent a leg amputation.
A relative confirmed that Ershad was not the only one who faced such abuse, noting that hundreds of young Rohingya have endured similar torture and mistreatment in Arakan Army prisons.
Ershad’s ordeal began after the Arakan Army launched an attack on his village on May 17, 2024. He and his family were forced to flee their home in Sain Nyin Pyin and live in makeshift huts under dire humanitarian conditions.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to seize control of Arakan State, managing to capture 14 out of 17 townships. The conflict has severely affected the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides. This comes after the 2017 “genocide” campaign by the Myanmar military, which drove nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh currently hosts over one million Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps the world’s largest refugee settlement, according to the United Nations where they live in difficult humanitarian conditions. Waves of new arrivals have continued since the outbreak of conflict in Arakan State between the Myanmar military and the separatist Arakan Army in November 2023.
