Rohingya may have entered Bangladesh in recent Myanmar clashes

21/6/2024 18:00

        Escalating violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state in recent months may have spurred some Rohingya Muslims to cross into Bangladesh, a key refugee official said, although Dhaka insists it cannot accept more refugees from its war-torn neighbour.
        
        Rohingya have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades, with large numbers fleeing to Bangladesh from Rakhine in 2017, following a military-led crackdown on the minority community.
        
        Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the Bangladesh official tasked with refugee relief and repatriation, said his office had received reports of Rohingya crossing over to swell the figure of nearly a million housed in refugee camps in the Cox's Bazar area.
        
        Fighting has flared in Rakhine after a ceasefire between the Arakan Army (AA), one of Myanmar's most powerful ethnic armies, and the ruling junta broke down late last year.