Dhaka, 4 September 2024 (TDI): Around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought refuge in Bangladesh in recent months, fleeing escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Bangladeshi officials reported.
The intensification of violence is attributed to ongoing clashes between Myanmar’s ruling junta and the Arakan Army, a prominent ethnic militia from the Buddhist majority.
Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a senior Bangladeshi refugee official, confirmed the influx of Rohingya refugees, noting that most have arrived over the past two months.
“Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya,” Douza stated.
This is the first time the Bangladeshi government has released such estimates for recent months.
The Bangladeshi cabinet is scheduled to hold a critical discussion within the next few days to address the mounting crisis.
Mohammad Touhid Hossain, the country’s de-facto foreign minister, emphasized the limitations of Bangladesh’s capacity to offer humanitarian shelter to additional refugees.
“It is not possible to fully seal the border,” Hossain added, while efforts will be made to curb further influx.
Rallies in Camps
On August 25, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees held rallies in their camps in Bangladesh, commemorating the seventh anniversary of the 2017 military crackdown that drove them from Myanmar.
They demanded an end to the violence and a safe return to their homeland.
Currently, over one million Rohingya live in overcrowded camps in southern Bangladesh, facing severe restrictions on their return to Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship and basic rights.
The recent violence represents the worst crisis for the Rohingya since the 2017 military-led campaign, which the United Nations has condemned as genocidal.
Last month, Hossain called for increased international support, urging India and other nations to take more significant action.
He also appealed for greater international pressure on the Arakan Army to halt its attacks on the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
