The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that it had reached a framework agreement with the Myanmar government aimed at allowing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.
"Since the conditions are not conducive for voluntary return yet, the MoU (memorandum of understanding) is the first and necessary step to support the Government's efforts to change that situation," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale, the U.N. and aid agencies have said.
