Around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in recent months, according to Bangladeshi officials. They are escaping the escalating violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state.
The violence has intensified as fighting between Myanmar’s ruling junta and the Arakan Army continues to worsen. The Arakan Army is a powerful ethnic militia drawn from the Buddhist majority.
“We have information that around 8,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh recently. Mostly this took place over the last two months,” said Mohammad Shamsud Douza. Douza is a senior official in charge of refugees for the Bangladeshi government.
“Bangladesh is already overburdened. It is unable to accommodate any more Rohingya,” he said on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh government has not previously provided any estimate of how many Rohingya have crossed over in the last few months.
The government will hold a “serious discussion at the cabinet” within the next two to three days to address the crisis, Bangladesh’s de-facto foreign minister, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, told reporters late on Tuesday.
While expressing sympathy for the Rohingya, Hossain said that the country no longer has the capacity to provide humanitarian shelter to additional refugees.
“It is not possible to fully seal the border,” he added. He said that efforts will be made to prevent further infiltration.
“Help Us”
Rohingya who recently fled to Bangladesh have urged the government to provide them with shelter.
“How long can we stay with relatives in such a cramped space?” said a Rohingya refugee who fled to Bangladesh last month with his wife and parents.
“We appeal to the government to provide us with shelter and ensure we receive food and other essential assistance.”
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh held rallies in camps on August 25. The day marked the seventh anniversary of the 2017 military crackdown that forced them to flee Myanmar. They were demanding an end to violence and safe return to their homeland.
No Space In Bangladesh
Over one million Rohingya currently live in overcrowded camps in southern Bangladesh. They have very little hope of returning to Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship and other basic rights.
The recent surge in violence is the worst the Rohingya have faced since the 2017 Myanmar military-led campaign. The United Nations had described the crackdown as having genocidal intent.
Last month, Hossain called on India and other countries to take greater action.
He also urged the international community to apply more pressure on the Arakan Army to cease attacks on the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
