Tens of thousands of Muslim minority Rohingya are feared to be caught in fighting in western Myanmar, as a powerful armed ethnic group bears down on junta positions in a coastal town on the country's border with Bangladesh. Around 70,000 Rohingya who are in Maungdaw are trapped as the fighting draws closer, said Aung Kyaw Moe, the deputy human rights minister in Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government. Thousands of Rohingya fled toward neighboring Bangladesh last month, seeking safety from the escalating conflict, although the neighboring country is reluctant to accept more refugees. The Arakan Army denies the allegations. Rohingya have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades.

Source: Ethiopian News June 17, 2024 04:20 UTC