“I May Be Killed Any Moment” 23 Speaking of one of the meetings in early November 2024, the Rohingya negotiator said: “I am a negotiator and middle man. … There were senior leaders and religious leaders. We made some promises to end the fighting, and the witness was Allah. I know there were two from ARSA, two RSO, two from Islami Mahas, and two from ARA [Arakan Rohingya Army], and other senior religious leaders.”37 Rohingya-led political and armed organizations have always sought political support from Western governments, though without apparent success; however, they reportedly receive material support from the Rohingya diaspora in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the United States, and other places.38 Rohingya religious leaders typically do not preach violence, and the vast majority are not associated with terrorist groups, such as al Qaeda or the Islamic State. Refugee Camp Administration in Cox’s Bazar District A complex web of state and non-state actors officially and unofficially manage Bangladesh’s refugee camps.39 The Government of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MDMR) is responsible for both disaster relief in the country and the Rohingya humanitarian response.40 The Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission operates under the MDMR and oversees the Camp-inCharge officials (CiCs), Bangladesh civil servants working in the camps.41 Refugee camps in Bangladesh housing Rohingya from Myanmar have existed for decades, and majhi have long formally managed various aspects of camp life, including the distribution of some humanitarian assistance.42 The Bangladesh Army established the majhi system in the 1990s in response to the first large-scale influx of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar District.43 Head majhis are responsible for communicating directly with CiCs about camp-related matters. The head majhis also manage the less influential neighborhood block majhis, and in turn, block majhis manage subblock majhis.44 Head majhis report directly to Bangladeshi CiCs.45 Humanitarian aid organizations have criticized the majhi system because it “was not established with the participation of the Rohingya communities and consequently lacks any representation and accountability to the refugees.”46 Consequently, Rohingya refugees and humanitarian organizations attempted to reform the majhi system to democratize it by holding elections in some individual camps and include Rohingya women as majhis.47 37 Fortify Rights interview with A.A.E., Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, November 18, 2024. 38 Fortify Rights communication with Rohingya diaspora, 2021-2023. 39 The International Rescue Committee (IRC) explained the governance in the camps as “a hierarchical intersection of GoB (RRRC, CIC, Police Army), humanitarian actors ((I)NGOs, UN etc.), and local community leaders (Majhis, camp/block committees, ARSA, respected elders).” IRC, Access to Justice for Rohingya and Host Community in Cox’s Bazar, February 2019, p. 14, https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/document/3929/accessingjusticeassessmentexternalfinalsmall.pdf. 40 The Government of Bangladesh, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, website, https://modmr.gov.bd/. 41 The Government of Bangladesh, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, website, http://rrrc.gov.bd/ 42 The majhi system was first established to identify “immediate survival needs” and link “the Rohingya refugees with emergency assistance from various providers.” See, Protection Sector Working Group Cox’s Bazar, “Protection Considerations on the ‘Majhi System,’” Protection Cluster, June 2018, https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/ protection-sector-working-group-cox-s-bazar-30-june-2018-protection-considerations. 43 Translators Without Borders, The Language of Leadership: The Words That Define How Majhis Are Seen and Understood in the Rohingya Refugee Response, 2020, https://translatorswithoutborders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TWB_ Bangladesh_Majhi_Report_FinalEN.pdf; IRC, Access to Justice for Rohingya and Host Community in Cox’s Bazar, p. 16. 44 IRC, Access to Justice for Rohingya and Host Community in Cox’s Bazar, pp. 16-18. 45 In the registered refugee camps in 2007, the majhi system was changed to a “camp committee” system. Humanitarian organizations and refugees have raised concerns about corruption, including extortion, and many refugees want the majhi system changed camp-wide to a camp committee system. For more information, see, Protection Sector Working Group Cox’s Bazar, “Protection Considerations on the ‘Majhi System.’” 46 Ibid. 47 See, for example, Verena Hölzl, “For Rohingya Women, Refugee Elections Bring New Opportunities – and New Problems,” The New Humanitarian, August 26, 2019, https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2019/08/26/ Rohingya-women-refugee-elections; Verena Hölzl, “Why Aid Groups Want Rohingya Refugees to Vote,” The New Humanitarian, August 26, 2019, https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2019/08/26/Rohingya-refugees-vote.