UN: Hundreds of Rohingya Died at Sea in 2023

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Facts

  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that 569 Rohingya people — the mostly Muslim minority in Myanmar — died at sea last year while journeying across the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia. The hundreds of deaths are among the almost 4.5K who fled overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh in 2023.1
  • According to the commissioner's statement, the number of reported missing or dead is now 'the highest since 2014, when the total reached 730,' with the number in 2023 rising more than 200 compared to 2022. It added that 'some 66% of those embarking on these deadly journeys' are women and children.2
  • Over 1.5K of those fleeing to other parts of Asia landed in the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island in November and December last year, though they faced more backlash than previous waves of migrants. Indonesian villagers and soldiers pushed their boats back into the water.1
  • The UN refugee agency called on 'regional coastal authorities to take urgent action to prevent future tragedies,' arguing that 'saving lives and rescuing those in distress at sea' is their 'duty under international maritime law.'2
  • This follows news from Jan. 7 that a fire broke out at a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh. Officials said the blaze destroyed roughly 800 shelters, left around 7K homeless, and damaged 120 facilities, including mosques and healthcare centers.3

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2UNHCR and 3Reuters.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Australian Institute of International Affairs. The lack of international commitment to accepting the Rohingya is disappointing. It's particularly troubling coming from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which seem to be dealing with growing islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment. Even large Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, are dealing with this. If a small nation like Bangladesh can house many thousands Rohingya, larger states can, too.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Crisis Group. This crisis has been caused by the decrease in global aid for the Rohingya, which dropped below $500M last year. Global bodies should work to collect more donations, and then they can bolster efforts to repatriate these people in Myanmar safely. This may take some time because Myanmar is still a dangerous place for them, but it's positive that countries like China are leading negotiations.

Predictions