The Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh
Amnesty International describes the Rohingya as "one of the most persecuted minorities in the world". More than one million people from the mainly-Muslim minority group lived in Myanmar at the start of 2017, with the majority in Rakhine State. The government of Myanmar, a predominately Buddhist country, claims the Rohingya people are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh and has denied them citizenship, leaving them stateless. The Rohingya - who have their own language and culture - say they are descendants of Muslim traders who have lived in the region for generations. The systematic discrimination against the Rohingya people has left them living in deplorable conditions and segregated, with limited access to schools, healthcare and jobs, according to Amnesty. Tensions between the minority group and the mainly Buddhist Rakhine population erupted into rioting in 2012, driving tens of thousands from their homes and into displacement camps. The UN has described the latest mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar as "the world's fastest growing refugee crisis" and "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing". A wave of refugees began fleeing the country in late August after Myanmar's response to an attack by Rohingya militants on more than 20 police posts that the government said left 12 members of the security forces dead. Amnesty International said security forces then went on to carry out a "targeted campaign of widespread and systematic murder, rape and burning". There were reports of sexual violence against Rohingya women and entire villages being burned to the ground. More than 600,000 people have fled the violence, bringing the total number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to around 900,000. The Myanmar government said at least 400 people have been killed, describing most of them as "terrorists". But UN estimates in September put the death toll at least 1,000. Many Rohingya have died making the journey from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
Size: 3648px × 5472px
Location: Teknaf Upazila, Bangladesh
Photo credit: © Azim Khan Ronnie / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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