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The head of the Red Cross said on Sunday that he was not sure to send Rohingya refugees home to Myanmar, where he described entire villages abandoned and destroyed.
Peter Maurer visited western Myanmar before visiting refugee camps on the border of neighboring Bangladesh, where nearly one million Rohingyas sought refuge from violence.
The majority of persecuted Muslims in Bangladesh have arrived since the month of August, fleeing a major crackdown on the Myanmar army in the state of Rakhine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will make his first visit to the camps on Monday, as the influx of nearly 700,000 Rohingyas sparked a humanitarian crisis in southeastern Bangladesh
. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka Sunday, will take advantage of this trip to study the prospects of a "safe, voluntary and dignified return" of refugees in Myanmar. [1] 9659006] But relief agencies warn that the conditions at Rakhine, which are strictly limited to international observers, remain too dangerous to consider repatriating the Rohingya to predominantly Buddhist Burma.
Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said: It took a lot more to improve the situation that he experienced at Rakhine during an official visit in recent days.
"What I've seen in terms of destruction of villages, abandonment of situations, market disruption, livelihood, communities, I do not think the present moment is a ideal condition to return, "Maurer told AFP in an interview at Chakmarkul refugee camp.
He said that more was needed for these families.
"We need to set the stage for the returns of those who wish to return home," said Maurer.
Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in November. o Start repatriating the Rohingyas but the process is blocked, both sides accusing each other of frustrating the effort.
Fewer than 200 have been resettled and the vast majority refuse to consider returning until their rights, citizenship and security are badured.
The Rohingyas are hated by many in Myanmar, where they were stripped of their citizenship and labeled illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although they described their country as Rakhine.
The UN says the conditions are not ripe for repatriation, but has signed an agreement with Myanmar to badess the conditions on the ground to help refugees make an informed decision.
The United Nations Security Council visited Myanmar and Rakhine State in early May. village fires at the hands of the Myanmar Army
Myanmar vehemently denied the allegations of the United States, the United Nations and other ethnic cleansing people ing.
Red Cross chief Peter Maurer meets with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
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