500 people, mostly Rohingya, die in two shipwrecks off the coast of Myanmar

BarcelonaThe UN warned this Thursday that around 500 people have died off the coast of Myanmar in recent days due to the sinking of two boats. The majority of the victims belong to the Muslim ethnic group of the Rohingya, considered by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

According to a joint statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the two boats departed from Rakhine, the state of Burma where the Rohingya originate, in the west of the country. Preliminary information indicates that one of the vessels was carrying around 280 refugees and sank off the coast of Ayeyarwady. The other boat was carrying about 250 people and its trace was lost a few minutes after setting sail.

The crossings were made outside the usual sailing season and in meteorological conditions characterized by severe floods and torrential rains, which translate into more adverse maritime conditions, the UN points out. Some of the passengers came from Cox's Bazar, the largest refugee camp on the planet, located in Bangladesh. In this settlement, more than a million Rohingya refugees live in precarious conditions, which pushes its inhabitants to seek new destinations, mainly Indonesia and Malaysia, both Muslim-majority countries.

The largest exodus in the world

In the statement, the IOM and UNHCR have warned of the magnitude of the tragedy: "Although the figures for incidents and victims have not yet been officially confirmed, we are gravely concerned about the loss of life." The statement also warns that "if verified, this tragedy would add to the nearly 300 people who have been declared missing or have lost their lives in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of the year, including Rohingya refugees and citizens of Bangladesh".

The facts "highlight the devastating impact of the prolonged conflict that Myanmar is suffering", the UN points out. Often, members of the Rohingya minority embark on boats in very poor condition operated by human trafficking networks in search of better living conditions. According to UNHCR data, last year alone, at least 6,500 Rohingya displaced themselves by sea and about 900 died or disappeared in the Indian Ocean, making it the deadliest year on record.

"The escalation of the conflict and the worsening humanitarian situation in Myanmar, coupled with limited assistance and opportunities in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, contribute to the increase in the number of people attempting dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and protection," the United Nations points out. The persecution against this community has forced the displacement of more than 1.3 million people to Bangladesh, currently the largest stateless population exodus in the world.

The majority of Rohingya fled following the military offensive in 2017, when the Burmese army bombed and set fire to the villages of this community, in the most devastating campaign of violence for the Rohingya with evidence of crimes against humanity and genocide, according to a UN investigation. Currently, thousands of Rohingya still remain in Rakhine, despite the deterioration of security and quality of life resulting from the 2021 coup d'état, in the hands of the army, which put an end to 10 years of democratic transition and plunged the country into a spiral of international isolation and violence.