UN announces 'alarming rise' in Rohingya refugee deaths
The UN refugee agency says hundreds of members of Myanmar's heavily-persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority have died or gone missing while trying to flee dire humanitarian situations in either the country or neighboring Bangladesh.
The UNHCR offered the information on Tuesday, saying more than 3,500 Rohingyas had attempted to flee those countries by the sea in 2022. The figure represented a huge increase compared to the year before, when some 700 people attempted similar journeys, spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told reporters in Geneva.
Among the thousands-strong refugees, however, 3,040 Rohingyas made it to nearby littoral countries, she said. "UNHCR has recorded an alarming rise in the death toll. At least 348 individuals died or went missing at sea in 2022, making it one of the deadliest years since 2014," said the UN official.
"Those who have disembarked report that they undertook these dangerous sea journeys in an effort to find the protection, security, family reunification, and livelihoods in other countries," she said.
The United Nations has described the Rohingya people as the most persecuted minority in the world. In 2016 and 2017, thousands of Rohingya people were killed, raped, tortured, or arrested by the country's military.
Each year, many Rohingyas risk their lives boarding rickety vessels to escape violence in Myanmar and squalid conditions at refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. Many attempts to reach Malaysia.
"Among them are victims of trafficking, unaccompanied and separated children, and survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence," Mantoo said.
Myanmar is facing genocide accusations at the UN's top court following the mass exodus.
The UNHCR has called for a full regional response, addressing human trafficking, search and rescue efforts, and support in countries where Rohingya refugees disembark.
It has also sought to see efforts to address the root causes of why Rohingya are fleeing Myanmar.
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