Cox’s’ Bazar (Bangladesh) : A UN Security Council delegation is in Bangladesh for a firsthand look at the plight of some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar to escape military-led violence and are seeking UN protection to return home.
The team will meet some of the refugees, including victims of rape and torture, on Sunday. The delegation will also visit Myanmar after concluding its three-day visit on Monday, reports AP.
Representatives from the five permanent Security Council members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent member states have joined the delegation in the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar, where the camps are located.
The recent spasm of violence in Myanmar began when Rohingya insurgents staged a series of attacks on Aug. 25 on about 30 security outposts and other targets.
In a subsequent crackdown described by UN and US officials as “ethnic cleansing,” Myanmar security forces have been accused of rape, killing, torture and the burning of Rohingya homes.
Thousands are believed to have been killed.