UNHCR: 150,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in last 18 months
The latest UNHCR report says continued persecution at home and escalating conflict following the 2021 coup have led to thousands of refugees fleeing Myanmar's western state of Rakhine.
It says the new arrivals in Cox's Bazar in southern Bangladesh represent the largest exodus since 2017. At that time, over 700,000 people fled violent clashes between Rohingya militants and government forces.
The agency says essential supplies, including food and medicines, are severely lacking in the already overcrowded refugee camps due to a shortage of funds. It also warns that alongside those items, education for around 230,000 children is at risk of being discontinued in the near future.
UN refugee officials are calling on the international community to stand in solidarity to provide life-saving assistance to the Rohingya refugees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
17 hours ago
- Japan Times
Israel allows aid air drops to Gaza to resume
Israel said Saturday that it air dropped aid into the Gaza Strip and would open humanitarian corridors, as it faced growing international condemnation over the deepening hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume. Before Israel announced the delivery of seven aid packages, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. The decision to loosen the flow of aid came as the Palestinian civil defense agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centers. The same day, Israeli troops boarded a boat carrying activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as it attempted to approach Gaza from the sea and deliver a small quantity of supplies to the aid-starved population. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition among children. On Telegram, the Israeli military announced it "carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip." Earlier, Israel said humanitarian corridors for U.N. aid convoys to deliver "food and medicine" would also be designated. This would improve the humanitarian situation, and disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip," it added. Israel's foreign ministry posted on X that a "humanitarian pause" would apply to certain parts of Gaza on Sunday morning to facilitate the aid deliveries. Humanitarian chiefs are deeply skeptical that air drops can deliver enough food to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than 2 million inhabitants. They are instead demanding that Israel allow more overland convoys. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart air drops. Starmer's office said that in a call with his French and German counterparts the "prime minister set out how the U.K. will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance." The United Arab Emirates said it would resume air drops "immediately." "The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level," Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. "Air drops are resuming once more, immediately." A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. "Air drops will not reverse the deepening starvation," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. "They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians." Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that U.N. agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. But humanitarian organizations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. A separate aid operation is underway through the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but it has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points. On Saturday evening, the live feed on the Handala boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. The soldiers moved in as the boat approached Gaza and three video live feeds of the scene broadcasting online were cut minutes later. Israeli forces last month intercepted and boarded another boat run by the same group, the Madleen. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed over 50 people on Saturday, including 14 killed in separate incidents near aid distribution centers. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean press agencies are unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Japan Times
21 hours ago
- Japan Times
Thailand says open to 'dialogue' with Cambodia to end conflict
Thailand said late Saturday it agrees in principle to entering a ceasefire with Cambodia and beginning a "bilateral dialogue" aimed at ending the nations' deadliest fighting in more than a decade. The Southeast Asian neighbors exchanged heavy artillery fire for a third straight day Saturday, as a border conflict that has killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 150,000 from their homes spread across the frontier. "Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place," the foreign ministry said in a statement on X. That followed a post by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and that the two sides have agreed to meet and "quickly work out" a ceasefire. Thailand's foreign ministry confirmed a phone call between Trump and Phumtham, and stressed that regarding a possible ceasefire, "Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side." It said Phumtham requested Trump to "convey to the Cambodian side that Thailand wants to convene a bilateral dialogue as soon as possible to bring forth measures and procedures for the ceasefire and the eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict." Hours earlier, clashes broke out in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250 kilometers (160 miles) southwest of the main front lines, thumping with blasts on Saturday afternoon. "It feels like I'm escaping a war zone," 76-year-old Samlee Sornchai told AFP at a temple shelter for evacuees in the Thai town of Kanthararom, after abandoning his farm near the embattled frontier. A long-running border dispute erupted into combat last week with jets, tanks and ground troops. Tensions initially flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. While each side has expressed openness to a truce, they have accused one another of undermining armistice efforts. Cambodia's defense ministry said 13 people have been confirmed killed in the fighting since Thursday, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. Thai authorities say 13 civilians and seven soldiers have died on their side, taking the toll across both nations higher than it was in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. Both sides reported a coastline clash early Saturday, with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing "five heavy artillery shells" into Pursat province, bordering Thailand's Trat province. The conflict has forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, and more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting Friday in New York, Cambodia's U.N. ambassador, Chhea Keo, said his country wanted "an immediate ceasefire" and a peaceful solution of the dispute. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres remained deeply concerned about the armed clashes and urged both sides Saturday to "immediately agree to a ceasefire" and hold talks to find a lasting solution. "The Secretary-General condemns the tragic and unnecessary loss of lives, injuries to civilians and the damage to homes and infrastructure on both sides," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement. Both sides have blamed the other for firing first. Additionally, Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours — both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists — over their shared 800-kilometer border where dozens of kilometers are contested. A U.N. court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for more than a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash. Relations soured dramatically when Cambodia's influential ex-leader Hun Sen last month released a recording of a call with Thailand's then-Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra focused on the row. The leak triggered a political crisis in Thailand as Paetongtarn was accused of not standing up for Thailand enough, and of criticizing her own army. She was suspended from office by a court order.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire talks
US President Donald Trump says Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to start ceasefire talks as he sought to mediate the conflict between the two countries. Military clashes have continued in a disputed border region since Thursday. Trump wrote on his social media account on Saturday that he had spoken to Cambodia's prime minister and Thailand's acting prime minister. He added that he is currently working on a trade agreement with both countries, but said he would not make a deal with either country if they continue fighting. Trump also wrote that the leaders had agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a ceasefire, and ultimately, peace. The US President said he looks forward to concluding trade agreements with both countries when peace is achieved. Border clashes have left 20 people dead and over 30 others injured in Thailand. Cambodia says 13 people were killed and dozens others wounded. More than 110,000 people on both sides have been displaced. On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the leaders of both countries and appealed for an immediate ceasefire. Malaysia currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Both Thailand and Cambodia are members of the regional group.
