Hawzah News Agency(Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh) -"An estimated 21,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Cox's Bazar district between October 9 and December 2," Sanjukta Sahany, head of the IOM office in Bangladesh's southeastern district bordering Rakhine state, said Tuesday, December 6.

Most of those who crossed the border have taken refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages, she added. The figure is based on the data collected by UN agencies and international NGOs.

Myanmar's military has launched a fresh wave of crackdown on Muslims since an alleged attack on the country’s border guards on October 9 left nine policemen dead. The government blamed the Rohingyas for the assault.

There have been numerous accounts by eyewitnesses of summary executions, rapes and arson attacks against Muslims since the crackdown began. The military has blocked access to Rakhine and banned journalists and aid workers from entering the zone.

At least 30,000 Rohingyas have been internally displaced in Rakhine, while thousands of others have tried to reach Bangladesh over the past month to seek refuge among the Rohingya people who already live there.

The United Nations has warned that ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingyas in Rakhine could be tantamount to “crimes against humanity.”

The Bangladesh government has also come under fire for pushing back Rohingya refugees, with Muslim groups and the opposition urging the country to open its border to the displaced people.

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