Advertisement

U.N.: 270,000 flee Myanmar for Bangladesh in two weeks

By Daniel Uria
Rohingya Muslims assist an elderly woman as they escape Myanmar to Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Monday. More than 270,00 people have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past two weeks, the United Nations said.
 Photo by EPA-EFE/STR
Rohingya Muslims assist an elderly woman as they escape Myanmar to Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Monday. More than 270,00 people have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past two weeks, the United Nations said. Photo by EPA-EFE/STR

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- More than 270,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh and the number of people seeking safety continues to rise, the United Nations said.

The United Nations migration agency confirmed the new tally on Friday as about 130,000 new arrivals settled into registered refugee camps and the three makeshift settlements of Kutupalong, Leda and Balukhali.

Advertisement

"Humanitarian agencies are deploying mobile medical teams, installing emergency latrines, providing water, and are distributing tarpaulins for basic shelter and food rations to new arrivals. But much more is needed and we are fast running out of stock," Margo Baars, of the International Organization for Migration, said.

Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing Myanmar since an Aug. 25 crackdown on the stateless ethnic minority after, the military says, Rohingya militants attacked police posts.

New arrivals, which mostly included women, children and the elderly, struggled to find shelter as many established makeshift settlements with some services available were already filled.

About 90,000 have found shelter in host communities, while 50,000 have settled in new spontaneous settlements.

Healthcare facilities are struggling to keep up with the massive influx of people, while U.N. migration officials and partners are recruiting more medical professionals to provide aid.

Advertisement

The U.N. migration agency allocated $1 million of emergency funds to aid humanitarian response in Cox's Bazar and the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund provided $7 million for those fleeing to Bangladesh.

Latest Headlines