A ‘staggering’ tragedy
THOUSANDS OF ROHINGYA CHILDREN, ADULTS DIED ‘HORRIFIC’ DEATHS, SAYS DOCTOR GROUP
In one month, Myanmar’s military crackdown saw about 8,170 Rohingya Muslims dying “horrific” deaths, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) revealed Thursday.
Most were shot, but others were burned to death in their homes, killed during sexual violence, or beaten to death.
The figure, which includes an estimated 1,247 children under the age of five, most of whom were shot, is the highest estimated death toll yet of the violence that erupted on Aug 25, triggering a mass exodus of more than 620,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh.
“What we uncovered was staggering, in terms of the numbers of people who reported a family member had died as a result of violence, and the horrific ways in which they said they were killed or severely injured,” said Sidney Wong, the aid group’s medical director.
MSF’s findings come from six surveys of more than 2,434 households sheltering in the refugee camps along the Bangladeshi border. The surveys examined the number of deaths in the 31 days following the military crackdown from August 25 in Rakhine state.
“The numbers of deaths are likely to be an underestimation, because we have not surveyed all refugee settlements in Bangladesh and because the surveys don’t account for families that never made it out of Myanmar,” Wong said. “We heard reports of entire families who perished after they were locked inside their homes and set on fire.
“With very few independent aid groups able to access Rakhine, we fear for the fate of Rohingya people who are still there. The signing of an agreement between the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh over the return of refugees is premature. Rohingya should not be forced to return, and their safety and rights need to be guaranteed before any such plans can be seriously considered.”
The death toll soars above Myanmar military claims that only 400 people, including 376 “terrorists” were killed during their operations.
The new evidence backs United Nations claims that the Rohingya were targeted in mass atrocities by the security forces.
The worst violence is believed to have occurred in Maungdaw township, a region closest to the Bangladesh border where for months the fires of burning villages were visible across an estuary dividing the two countries.