At least 22,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar's conflict-torn Rakhine State in the previous week to seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh, the United Nations said Monday. The latest refugee arrivals in Bangladesh brings the total number to 65,000 since last October, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its weekly report. As of January 5, an estimated 65,000 people were residing in registered camps, makeshift settlements and host communities in Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh, the report said. The report comes as UN human rights envoy Yanghee Lee is in the country on a 12-day-long investigation trip. Rights groups have accused the Burmese military of perpetrating mass murder, looting and rape against the Rohingya as the army began an offensive following an attack on police outposts in October that killed nine officers. Rakhine is one of Myanmar's poorest states and has been beset by interfaith violence between Buddhists and Muslims since a 2012 outbreak between the two groups left hundreds dead and more than 100,000 people displaced. State Counsellor and Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is facing increasing international pressure to resolve the humanitarian crisis.
