Rohingya exodus into Bangladesh is no less than a disaster, says Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has described the Rohingya exodus into Bangladesh as “a disaster” while speaking to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York, her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim has said.

The two leaders met at the United Nations headquarters on Monday.

Quoting Abbas, Karim said: “People across the globe are praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her humanitarian approach toward the Rohingya refugees.”

To this, the premier sought help from Abbas to mount global pressure on Myanmar to solve the crisis.

“We are sheltering them for the time being but Myanmar must take back their citizens,” Hasina said.

The 72nd UN General Assembly comes amid a military crackdown in Rakhine state that has sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fleeing across the border to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, which has housed almost half a million Rohingya refugees for decades, has seen a new influx of over 400,000 since the crackdown began on Aug 25.

UN agencies fear the number of new refugees may reach a million by the year-end if the situation in Rakhine remains unchanged.

Hasina stated her support for Palestine after Abbas informed her over his country’s situation, according to Karim.