Rohingya Crisis

What’s happening to the Rohingya people?

Violence and persecution in Myanmar have now driven over a million Rohingya from their homes. Rohingya refugees fled violence in Myanmar at a staggering rate in 2017 when violence broke out, including the burning of entire Rohingya villages.

At the peak of the crisis, thousands were crossing into Bangladesh daily. Most walked for days through jungles and mountains, or braved dangerous sea voyages across the Bay of Bengal to reach safety. They arrive exhausted, hungry and sick—urgently in need of protection and humanitarian assistance.

Who are the Rohingya?

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar. Over a million Rohingya refugees have fled violence in successive waves of displacement since the early 1990s. The most recent mass migration began on 25 August 2017. Violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, forcing over 742,000 Rohingya to seek asylum in Bangladesh. A significant portion of these are women and children, 40% are under 12 years old. Many others are elderly and require additional aid and protection.

Where are Rohingya families fleeing to?

Most Rohingyan families cross the border into Bangladesh and end up in the refugee settlements of Kutupalong and Nayapara in the Cox’s Bazar district. But conditions there are tough and the scale of the influx is putting immense pressure on local facilities and services.

What are conditions like in the Rohingya refugee camps?

Throughout the Rohingya crisis, the camps have been vast, overcrowded and basic. Kutupalong is now the largest camp of its kind in the world, with more than 600,000 people living in just 13 square kilometres. Infrastructure and services there are stretched to their limits, with many families lacking adequate shelter, clean water and proper sanitation.