Aid groups say Rohingya 'terrified' about Myanmar repatriation

A plan to start repatriating Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar is premature and the refugees are "terrified" about leaving Bangladesh where they sought refuge, dozens of aid agencies working in the region said Friday.

More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after a heavyhanded army crackdown in August that survivors say involved mass rape and extrajudicial killings.

UN investigators say that the country's military leaders should be investigated for genocide but Myanmar has rebuffed the calls, arguing it was only defending itself against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts.

Both Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation agreement to allow Rohingya to return but many fear going back without guarantees of citizenship, freedom of movement and safety.

However the governments said in recent weeks that they were pushing ahead with the first large-scale repatriation in mid-November, prompting an outcry from advocates who say conditions on the ground in Rakhine are not adequate.

"They fled to Bangladesh to seek safety and they are very grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for giving them a safe haven," the group of 42 aid agencies and civil society said in a statement that referred to the push as "dangerous."