More than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, when attacks by Rohingya militants in Rakhine state triggered a Myanmar crackdown that the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing. During a visit to the sprawling Kutupalong refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, close to the Myanmar border, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said Rohingyas had told him their stories. Aid workers fear a humanitarian crisis is also unfolding in Rakhine state, though Myanmar has restricted access. Grandi, who in July called for Myanmar to grant Rohingyas citizenship, also asked a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh what it would take for him to return. Rights group Amnesty International said on Friday new satellite images and videos showed plumes of smoke were still rising from villages in Rakhine state.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 24, 2017 03:45 UTC