In a small-rented room in Coxʼs Bazar Karim sits on the floor sharing his story of loss. His 7-year old daughter died in a recent bombing in Myanmarʼs Rakhine state; the attack left him badly hurt
Myanmar has turned into a place where it is impossible to live for Muslim people like us. If weʼre sent there‚ they will kill us
The situation mirrors events from bout 7 years ago when over 740k Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. Now thousands more are running from violence in a conflict between Myanmarʼs military and the Arakan Army (an ethnic armed group thats gaining support among pro-democracy forces)
Bangladeshʼs political landscape has changed too - the former PM left the country in late summer‚ and Muhammad Yunus leads an interim govt thatʼs dealing with worlds biggest refugee camp. The new administration dont want more refugees; theyʼre pushing newcomers back which goes against international rules
The camps conditions are getting worse everyday:
- Food supplies are low
- Living spaces are over-crowded
- Safety issues with local gangs
- Limited access to basic help
- Growing fears about militant activity
In Myanmarʼs Rakhine state‚ the Arakan Army denies hurting civilians but refugees tell different stories. They talk about fighters taking their food stealing their stuff and killing people. One man lost all 6 kids when crossing Naf river; anotherʼs wife drowned during escape
The Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre in Coxʼs Bazar keeps whats left of their past - wooden models of houses mosques and shops show what life was like before. Its looking more like history than something that can come back
The Myanmar military bears most blame for this mess - theyve killed thousands arrested many more and made life impossible. But other groups fighting the military need to speak up about crimes against Rohingya too; if they want a new Myanmar it needs to include everyone