World's most urgent refugee crisis

 

HSC ENGLISH: REPORT WRITING

World's most urgent refugee crisis

Diplomatic Correspondent

The humanitarian crisis caused by escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is causing suffering on a catastrophic scale. Extreme violence and persecution in the western Rakhine State of Myanmar have caused more than 500,000 Rohingya people, an ethnic minority, to flee their homes in search of a safe haven. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh—mostly women and children—are traumatized, and some have arrived with injuries caused by gunshots, shrapnel, fire and landmines. Leaving almost all they own behind, the majority of those fleeing have crossed the border into Bangladesh. Since Aug. 25, 2017, the Rohingya population in Myanmar has been subjected to extreme violence and has been forced to flee their homes. There have been reports of helicopters firing on civilians, the extra-judicial executions of women and children, and the burning of entire villages. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called the situation a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing," and the crisis has caused a mass exodus of the Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh. An emergency fund will support life-saving assistance and relief efforts for Rohingya people displaced by violence and conflict, specifically in and around the refugee camps in the Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh and in neighboring settlements. Everyone’s support will help survivors and victims get necessary immediate relief supplies like food and hygiene kits, as well as provide longer-term support through activities like the construction of much needed medical clinics and field hospitals.

To address the ongoing and increasing needs, a new Joint Response Plan was launched on 16 March 2018, requesting US$951 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.3 million people, including Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh and local host communities. As of 25 May, the appeal remains only 18% funded.