Bangladesh government chief calls for UN-backed ‘safe zone’ in Rakhine

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh transitional government chief Muhammad Yunus has proposed creating a UN-guaranteed “safe zone” in Burma’s Rakhine state to aid displaced people and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Yunus made the suggestion during a meeting with Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, held at his office in Dhaka. He described the proposed safe zone as potentially “the best way to get aid” to affected communities, calling it a “good beginning” toward resolving the crisis and reducing the flow of refugees into Bangladesh.

Andrews agreed that the situation in Rakhine has escalated into an “enormous crisis,” with millions displaced and urgent need for humanitarian aid, particularly for the Rohingya. He highlighted that at least 3.1 million people have been displaced across Burma, including hundreds of thousands in Rakhine state, where long-standing conflicts between insurgent groups and the Burmese military have intensified. In recent weeks alone, around 30,000 Rohingya have fled from Rakhine into Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is already hosting approximately 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal military crackdown in Burma’s Rakhine state in 2017. Most live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, with around 35,000 relocated to Bhasan Char Island since 2020.

Yunus also called for the international community, including the regional ASEAN bloc, to take action on the Rakhine crisis and urged support from the UN for resettling Rohingya refugees to third countries.

The discussion also touched on the International Criminal Court’s investigation into atrocities against the Rohingya in 2017.