Rohingya crisis: Muslim countries unite for action against Myanmar

Dhaka: A campaign was launched by foreign ministers of Muslim countries to mobilize international support for action against Myanmar over the Rohingya refugee crisis.

According to daily Sabah during two days of talks in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, a campaign committee was set up by Foreign ministers and diplomats of the 53-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting was held on May 6.

Terming the move a key step toward ending a crisis caused by the exodus of about 700,000 Muslim Rohingya from Buddhist-majority Myanmar into camps in Bangladesh, OIC secretary-general Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen said the new committee would “mobilize and coordinate international political support for accountability for human rights violations against the Rohingya community.”

The Rohingya have been persecuted for decades in Myanmar, where they are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denied citizenship.