Almost a hundred families have arrived in Bangladesh from Southern Buthidaung in the last two days with many more on their way. The escaping Rohingyas allege that government forces have enforced a strict curfew on them, cutting them off from food sources. Although these families had chosen to stay in Arakan despite the brutal crackdown of 2017 that have killed more than ten thousand people, they say that they can no longer hold on as they have run out of food.
According to one Hafiz Ahmed from Wari Young, the government had totally prevented the Rohingyas of the village from earning a livelihood which includes fishing, logging and agricultural activities. They are even forbidden from going out of their neighbourhoods and cannot even stay outside their houses after dark. As a result, the village tract which once had a population of around 2900 adults is now almost empty, even though the area was spared the brutal crackdown of 2017.
Meanwhile in Sin Don, more than a dozen families have left for Bangladesh on Saturday, citing the same reasons of food shortages.
Unlike Northern Buthidaung and the other frontier areas, the crackdown in the southern part of this township was less intense, though atrocities did take place. However Southern Buthidaung is the only place in Arakan where a sizeable Rohingya population has managed to cling on. This looks likely to change as the government enforces a strict blockade making it impossible for the Rohingyas in the region to get access to food. Many children have already died after going hungry. At least three children have died due to starvation related reasons as their families embarked on a difficult journey across the Bay of Bengal to the safety of Bangladesh.
While Bangladesh has welcomed almost 700,000 Rohingya refugees, it has closed down the maritime boundaries citing exploitation by human traffickers. This has however added to the woes of the people escaping from southern Buthidaung for whom it is not possible to access the land border. Many remain stranded in the Don Khali char of Southern Maungdaw separated by the Bay of Bengal from Bangladesh. Don Khali Char is not fit for human habitation and the lack of food and fresh water is taking a heavy toll on the stranded population, many of whom who do not have the means to afford the minimum fare of 3000 Bangladesh Taka even if a human trafficking boat manages to elude the Bangladesh authorities and reach the Burmese coast.
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