Arakan News Agency
Sunday marks the 6-month anniversary of the start of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the worst since the Vietnam War.
Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a violent campaign led by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority army since August 25.
Refugees now live in camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
The United Nations and international organizations have accused Myanmar’s security and military forces of committing ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims, including murder, rape and arson.
Most of the refugees live in the Kutupalong camp in southern Bangladesh, made up of houses made of plastic sheets. Most of their food comes from relief organizations.
There are few jobs in the camp, and refugees do not have much to do.
Halima Begum, a farmer with a small shop in the camp, talks about her life in Myanmar before the violence being.
She says her family owned a house and planted land that brought in lots of vegetables and fruit before they were driven away.
“The camp is a source of comfort to us at least. Refugees can finally sleep without fear. In Myanmar, we could not sleep at night from fear. “The Myanmar army soldiers took us through the night to hit us, burn our houses, and kill our children with their guns.”
MSF estimated that at least 6,700 Rohingyas were killed in Myanmar during the first month of violence, including 730 children under the age of five.
