Another 100,000 Rohingya waiting to cross into Bangladesh

Satellite photos of the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh show the extent of the Rohingya crisis, as more than 420,000 people flee violence in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Photos reveal thousands of temporary shelters scattered over the landscape. One of the images, taken Sept. 16 by Colorado-based DigitalGlobe, shows the Kutupalong refugee camp has quadrupled in size. Elsewhere, refugees are building bamboo structures covered with plastic sheeting to create shelter from the rain. But the United Nations points out that refugees in makeshift shelters lack basic amenities. Rohingya Muslims arriving in Bangladesh this week told UN officials that more than 100,000 additional people are waiting to cross the border. The violence began when Rohingya militants attacked security posts in Burma’s Rakhine state on Aug. 25. Government forces responded by torching Rohingya villages in what human rights activists have labeled ethnic cleansing. Aid efforts continue in some of the regions hit by conflict despite ongoing tension. Police in western Buram said they fired warning shots after a Buddhist mob threw stones at officers protecting aid supply convoys from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Patrick Murphy, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Southeast Asia, on Friday called on Myanmar’s security forces to end the violence, protect civilians, and support humanitarian efforts.