Thousands of Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from violence in Myanmar, official says

4/9/2024 13:56

        Around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in recent months, escaping escalating violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, according to Bangladeshi officials.
        
        The violence has intensified as fighting between Myanmar's ruling junta and the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic militia drawn from the Buddhist majority, continues to worsen.
        
        Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a senior official in charge of refugees for the Bangladeshi government, "We have information that around 8,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh recently, mostly over the last two months."
        
        He said, "Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya."
        
        The Bangladesh government has not previously provided any estimate of how many Rohingya have crossed over in the last few months.
        
        Bangladesh's de-facto foreign minister, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, told reporters late on Tuesday, the government will hold a "serious discussion at the cabinet" within the next two to three days to address the crisis.
        
        While expressing sympathy for the Rohingya, Hossain said that the country no longer has the capacity to provide humanitarian shelter to additional refugees.