The Rohingya crisis steps into the fifth month as people continue to crossing into Bangladesh from Rakhine to escape the atrocities of the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people belonging to different ethnic groups. According to a media statement issued by the Bangladesh chapter of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a total of 6.55 lakh Rohingyas have arrived in Cox’s Bazar during this five-month period.

Even the signing of an agreement for repatriation of the Rohingyas between Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23 in Nay Pyi Taw and subsequent formation of the joint working group in Dhaka, could not completely halt the arrivals of the persecuted people from Rakhine, multiple sources told The Independent yesterday.

“Yes, I can tell you that we did not have a single day since August 25 on which we haven’t received a single Rohingya,” Fiona MacGregor of IOM told this correspondent from Cox’s Bazar yesterday. “However, there have been ups and downs in terms of the number of arrivals,” she said.

“You know the situation. People keep coming despite the agreement and subsequent formation of the joint working group. It is clearly stated in the agreement signed on November 23 in the Myanmar capital that measures will be taken to halt the influx of Rohingyas,” said a senior government official, expressing utter frustration.

“If they (Myanmar) do not live up to their pledges, what can we do,” he said. To a question, he added, “We have no alternative but to continue discussion with the Myanmar authorities to find a solution to the protracted problem.” Meanwhile, the Christmas this year today is very bleak for hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas as the rest of the world celebrate the festival across the world.

“There is nothing good for these people as the world celebrates Christmas. It is so sad,” said an official of an international organisation working in Cox’s Bazar. “On Christmas day, it will be four months since the start of the influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh,” said an IOM media statement.

With the latest figures of 655,000 new arrivals in that period, the estimated total number of Rohingya in Cox’s Bazaar reaches 867,500, it said. Different government sources, however, say the total number of Rohingyas living in the country stand at about 12 lakh if 3.5 to 4 lakh Rohingyas from Myanmar, who have been living in the country for decades, are included.

IOM’s newly-released Needs and Population Monitoring (NPM) Round 7 assessed 1,635 locations hosting Rohingya refugees in collective sites and host communities, said the statement. Key findings are that 73 per cent of the refugees are living in new spontaneous settlements, 13 per cent in makeshift settlements, 9 per cent in host community locations and 5 per cent in the formal refugee camps.

Compared to the previous round, there has been a reduction in the proportion of refugees in host community locations and an increased proportion residing in collective sites.

As winter takes hold, IOM and its partners are scaling up their distribution of shelter and non-food items in response to the colder weather. In the past fortnight, distributions have included over 88,500 blankets and emergency shelter materials, including bamboo bundles for over 1,500 families. To date, IOM has distributed 124,000 tarpaulins, benefitting some 563,000 new arrivals. Some 32,000 people have also received other non-food relief items.