Photo Essay: Rohingya Refugees Surpass Half a Million

Newly arrived Rohingya refugees are dropped off by the side of the road at Balukhali camp, Bangladesh, without aid, assistance, or information.
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees are dropped off by the side of the road at Balukhali camp, Bangladesh, without aid, assistance, or information.  © 2017 Human Rights Watch
Boats at the Bangladesh-Burma border crossing.
Boats at the Bangladesh-Burma border crossing.  © 2017 Human Rights Watch
Smoke is seen rising from a village burning across the border in Burma.
Smoke is seen rising from a village burning across the border in Burma. © 2017 Human Rights Watch
Thousands of new Rohingya arrivals in Teknaf, Bangladesh, near the border. Many said their homes were burned in the last few days. Others walked for weeks to escape.
Thousands of new Rohingya arrivals in Teknaf, Bangladesh, near the border. Many said their homes were burned in the last few days. Others walked for weeks to escape. © 2017 Human Rights Watch
A truck of newly arrived Rohingya refugees is driven to camps already housing over half a million new arrivals. Smoke is seen rising from burning villages in Burma nearby.
A truck of newly arrived Rohingya refugees is driven to camps already housing over half a million new arrivals. Smoke is seen rising from burning villages in Burma nearby.  © 2017 Human Rights Watch
A bridge at the Bangladesh-Burma border crossing.
A bridge at the Bangladesh-Burma border crossing.  © 2017 Human Rights Watch

Even as the number of Rohingya refugees fleeing Burma over the past month has passed half a million, thousands continue to arrive across the border. The journey is long and perilous – about 60 Rohingya are presumed dead after a boat capsized off the Bangladesh coast on Thursday.

The flight of the Rohingya is the fastest exodus since the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide 23 years ago. At a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Secretary-General António Guterres called it “the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency and a humanitarian and human rights nightmare.” Below, scenes of the ongoing arrivals.  

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Rohingya refugees shortly after arrival in Bangladesh.

September 25, 2017

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