All you need to know
Who are the Rohingya?
Described as the world’s most persecuted people, more than one million Rohingya people were based in Myanmar. They lived predominately in Rakhine state, where they have co-existed uneasily alongside Buddhists for decades. They are one of the many ethnic minorities in the country, with Rohingya Muslims representing the largest percentage of Muslims in Myanmar. They have their own culture and say they are descendants of Arab traders and other groups who have been in the region for generations. Unlike the Buddhist community, they speak a language similar to the Bengali dialect of Chittagong in Bangladesh. But the government of Myanmar denies the Rohingya citizenship and even excluded them from the 2014 census. It sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
What triggered the refugee crisis?
For decades ethnic tensions have simmered in Rakhine state, with frequent outbreaks of violence. In October 2016, nine police officers were killed by armed men. Amid the ensuing violence, 87,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh and government troops expanded their presence in Rakhine. At the time, the UN said the Myanmar government was seeking to rid the country of its Muslim minority – an accusation that has been made repeatedly by human rights groups. The government denies the charge. In August 2017, Myanmar further increased the number of troops in Rakhine, after seven Buddhists were found hacked to death. The buildup of troops prompted a fresh wave of violence and police brutality.
What has been the extent of damage?
The violence has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 300,000 to flee their homes. The UN’s top human rights official says the military’s response was “clearly disproportionate” to insurgent attacks and warned that Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya minority appears to be a “textbook example” of ethnic cleansing.
How many Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar?
Risking death by sea or on foot, more than half a million Rohingya fled the destruction of their homes and persecution for neighbouring Bangladesh. The UN says the Rohingya’s situation is the “world’s fastest growing refugee crisis”. Before August 2017, there were already around 307,500 Rohingya refugees living in camps, makeshift settlements and with host communities, according to the UNHCR. A further 655,000 are estimated to have arrived since August. Most Rohingya refugees reaching Bangladesh – men, women and children with barely any belongings – have sought shelter in these areas, setting up camp wherever possible in the difficult terrain and with little access to aid, safe drinking water, food, shelter or healthcare.