About 1,000 ethnic Rohingya villagers from Myanmar have forced their way into Bangladesh after coming under fire from Myanmar soldiers, Fox News reported on Monday.

The villagers, who were seeking refuge from ongoing violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, had been in a border no man's land for two days. Bangladeshi border guards, who had provided them with food and water, on Monday sought to push them back to their own country.

A Bangladeshi local official, Jahangir Aziz, said that when Myanmar troops fired their guns, the crowd ran back and broke through a Bangladesh barricade and cordon of 300-400 guards.

Violence broke out last week in Rakhine after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police posts. Advocates for the Rohingya say the army retaliated by burning down villages and shooting civilians, forcing thousands to flee.

Source : Mena