The head of Bangladesh's interim government, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, has called for an accelerated resettlement of Rohingya refugees to third countries as civil war rages in neighboring Myanmar.

Bangladesh currently hosts nearly one million Rohingya, though some estimates put the number even higher. Rohingya are a Muslim minority group in Myanmar, and many of them fled the country following military-led violence in 2017. Another wave of migration occurred after the military coup in Myanmar in early 2021. In recent months, an additional 8,000 Rohingya have reportedly crossed the border into Bangladesh to escape violence committed by both the military and anti-junta forces.

Yunus, an internationally renowned economist and microfinance pioneer, took over as head of Bangladesh's interim government following the ouster of veteran Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

With strong ties to Western governments and the international donor community, Yunus took office last month, promising reforms and increased international engagement. However, it not yet clear if his government will improve upon the previous regime's handling of the Rohingya crisis.

"It is too early to tell whether the new government will do better than the previous regime regarding the Rohingya question," Tazreena Sajjad, senior professorial lecturer at American University in Washington, DC, told DW.

In his first policy address in mid-August, Yunus reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to supporting Rohingya refugees.

"We need sustained international efforts for Rohingya humanitarian operations and their eventual repatriation........

© Deutsche Welle