Forty tons of Iran's relief aid has reached the Bangladesh border with Myanmar, where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are stranded after fleeing what has been called "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing" by the UN.
The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Morteza Salimi, who was on board the flight to the southeastern city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, announced before the flight that Iran is ready to send another 160 tons of aid for the fleeing Rohingya minority, and is also prepared to construct emergency camps for the refugees on the Bangladesh's border with Myanmar.
Also on board the humanitarian aircraft operated my Iran’s Army was Ebrahim Rahimpour, the deputy for Asia & Pacific affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry. Rahimpour told reporters before the flight that due to the nature of the flight route, Iran’s embassy in Bangladesh has made efforts to facilitate the delivery of the goods.
He also expressed hope that Iran’s assistance would continue and that easier routes via maritime transport would be added for aid shipments to those fleeing to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s atrocities.
According to latest estimates, over 400,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed into Bangladesh since the latest wave of violence erupted three weeks ago, making it one of the fastest growing refugee crises in recent years.
Conditions are deteriorating in Bangladesh’s border town of Cox's Bazar, where the constant influx has increased pressure on already-overcrowded Rohingya camps.
The volatile Rakhine, located in the northwest of Myanmar, has been the scene of communal violence since 2012. Many of the Muslims have lost their lives while tens of thousands have been displaced as a result of attacks by Buddhists. The refugees largely live in camps in dire conditions.
Since October 2016, Myanmar’s government has laid a siege to the western state of Rakhine, where the Rohingya Muslims are concentrated. There, horrific violence, including killing, rape and torching property, has been taking place against the minority Muslims, according to reports and eyewitnesses.
Aid agencies are overwhelmed by the sheer size of the exodus.