Aid Agency Extends Lifeline To Embattled Rohingya Muslims

(MENAFN- AzerNews) The plight of the Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic minority group from Myanmar's Rakhine State, continues to spark a global outcry and spur humanitarian efforts, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

As a result of the crisis, for the past seven years, more than 1.3 million forcibly displaced people have been struggling to survive in dire circumstances.

At the end of 2023, around 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order, according to a recent report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Among these are 1.3 million Rohingyas, who are predominantly Muslim and have lived in Myanmar for generations.

Often described as "the world's most persecuted minority," Rohingyas have faced systematic disenfranchisement, discrimination and targeted persecution by the Myanmar government for decades. The government does not recognize them as one of the country's official ethnic groups, leaving them stateless and stripping them of citizenship rights.

Tensions escalated dramatically between the Rohingya and the Myanmar government in 2017 following attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on police checkpoints on Aug. 25. Myanmar's military responded with a brutal crackdown that has led to widespread violence, killings and arson.

Described by the UN as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing," the Myanmar military's actions have led to a mass exodus, forcing Rohingyas to seek refuge in neighboring countries including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

Most live in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh, which are among the largest and most densely populated in the world. Despite a significant influx of aid from humanitarian agencies, dependency on foreign assistance remains ongoing and the security situation is dire.

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