Bangladeshi authorities should allow oppressed Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar to obtain protection and humanitarian assistance, Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Thursday.
An estimated 18,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Bangladesh in recent months to escape abuses amid the surging fighting between Myanmar鈥檚 military junta and the ethnic Arakan Army, while another 10,000 are reportedly waiting at the border, the statement said, adding that Border Guard Bangladesh forces have pushed back thousands of Rohingyas since early August.
On September 23, Bangladeshi security forces arrested an estimated 100 Rohingya refugees in a raid on shelters where new arrivals were staying, as well as about 30 who were crossing the Naf River, it added.
They forcibly returned the refugees to Myanmar the following day, saying they were acting under orders, it said.
鈥楤angladeshi authorities need to allow Rohingya fleeing renewed attacks in Myanmar to enter the country and ensure that they receive protection and aid,鈥� said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
鈥楾he recent arrivals are in urgent need of food and medicine but are afraid that seeking assistance will put them at risk of being forcibly returned to Myanmar,鈥� she said.
Human Rights Watch in August and September 2024 interviewed 10 Rohingya who recently entered Bangladesh, as well as humanitarian workers and Bangladeshi border authorities. Refugees described being denied entry by border guard officers, forcing them to turn to smugglers for alternative shelter to escape threats to their lives and safety in Myanmar鈥檚 western Rakhine State.
Bangladesh has not registered any new arrivals, leaving them without access to food rations and health care and at constant risk of being forcibly returned to Myanmar.
It said that Bangladeshi authorities should urgently collaborate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to register new Rohingya refugees.
In recent months, the Myanmar military and Arakan Army have committed mass killings, arson, and unlawful recruitment against Rohingya in Rakhine State. About 630,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar under a system of apartheid that leaves them especially vulnerable to renewed fighting. The conflict has displaced more than 320,000 people in Rakhine State and southern Chin State since hostilities resumed in November 2023. Dozens of Rohingya have drowned while fleeing as overcrowded boats capsized.
On September 23, most of the 18 passengers on a boat reportedly drowned after it capsized in the Naf River.
Bangladesh already hosts about one million Rohingya refugees and authorities say that the country is not able to accept any more. Muhammad Yunus, who is leading the interim government, has called on donors and international partners to fast-track third-country settlement and increase humanitarian assistance.
While Yunus has acknowledged that sending Rohingya back to Myanmar means 鈥榩ushing them to death,鈥� the BGB has ramped up forced returns since the escalation of fighting in Rakhine State鈥檚 Maungdaw township in early August, it added.