Myanmar crisis is ‘most urgent in the world now’

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh is “the most urgent refugee emergency in the world” right now.

Filippo Grandi said that the needs of the more than 430,000 people who have fled terrible violence in Myanmar over the last month are enormous and that the international community must step up financial and material aid to Bangladesh if the South Asian nation is to be able to help the refugees.

The latest round of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state erupted when a Rohingya insurgent group launched deadly attacks on security posts 25 August, prompting Myanmar’s armed forces to launch “clearance operations” to root out the rebels.