In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and walks followed by his other siblings and mother Firoza Begum on a mud bank leading to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and walks followed by his other siblings and mother Firoza Begum on a mud bank leading to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
Nation & World
AP PHOTOS: A Rohingya boy's struggle to reach Bangladesh
October 10, 2017 9:32 PM
TEKNAF, Bangladesh
Yosar Hossein struggles as he walks along muddy paths and flooded creeks in Bangladesh, carrying his baby sister on his back. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in neighboring Myanmar.
Nearly two-thirds are children.
"She is very heavy," says Yosar, who in the last two weeks has lost his father, his house and his country. "I don't think I can carry her all the way."
The exodus from predominantly Buddhist Myanmar is the biggest the region has seen in decades, leaving this corner of Bangladesh overrun with tent cities of desperate refugees. It began Aug. 25, when the military responded to attacks by Rohingya militants with a brutal crackdown on members the Muslim minority. Soldiers and Buddhist mobs started killing, looting and burning down village after village.
Yosar's mother, Firoza Begum, says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. They heard loud bangs and watched as flames swallowed almost everything they owned.
Yosar's dad didn't make it out, Begum says. He was shot dead as they tried to flee. But his mom and three younger siblings managed to escape. They walked for six days, together with two aunts and several cousins, eating whatever they could find, resting very little, until they reached the shore of the mighty Naf River.
They piled into an overcrowded wooden boat and headed to neighboring Bangladesh. But the journey did not end there.
The family continued for another day — on foot, inside rickshaws and on the back of a truck — Yosar still in the green-and-white school clothes he was wearing when he left Myanmar.
"I wore black shoes and black socks, too," says the second-grader, who misses his school. "But I forgot to bring them when we fled our home."
Finally, on Oct. 2, Yosar and his family made it to a relative's house in Bangladesh.
He managed to carry his younger sister all the way.
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and walks past a muddy patch in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, center, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and wait too board a boat to cross a creek leading to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Yosar's mother, Firoza Begum, says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. Yosar's dad didn't make it out. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Foriza Begum holds a fan to shield her son Yosar Hossein, 7, and two-year-old daughter Noyem Fatima, on their way to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Yosar and his family walked for six days, together with two aunts and several cousins, eating whatever they could find, resting very little, until they reached the shore of the mighty Naf River. He managed to carry his younger sister all the way. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, wearing white shirt, travels with his family and other refugees on a boat towards a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Firoza Begum narrates the story of her family with her children standing beside her at a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Begum says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. They heard loud bangs and watched as flames swallowed almost everything they owned. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, two-year old Noyem Fatima offers a piece of banana to her elder brother Yosar Hossein, 7, as they sit on a sidewalk with their belongings in Leda, Bangladesh. Hossein carried his baby sister Noyem for seven days fleeing from their village in Myanmar to a refugee camp in Bangladesh with their mother and other siblings. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP Photo
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Rohingya boy Yosar Hussein, 7, smiles as his mother asks him to return as he takes a quick dip in a creek, during their journey to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Yosar and his family walked for six days, eating whatever they could find, resting very little, until they reached the shore of the mighty Naf River. Here they piled into an overcrowded wooden boat and headed to neighboring Bangladesh. The family continued for another day, on foot, inside rickshaws and on the back of a truck until they made it to a relative's house in Bangladesh. All the while, Yosar carried his two-year-old sister on his back.
Nearly two-thirds are children.
"She is very heavy," says Yosar, who in the last two weeks has lost his father, his house and his country. "I don't think I can carry her all the way."
The exodus from predominantly Buddhist Myanmar is the biggest the region has seen in decades, leaving this corner of Bangladesh overrun with tent cities of desperate refugees. It began Aug. 25, when the military responded to attacks by Rohingya militants with a brutal crackdown on members the Muslim minority. Soldiers and Buddhist mobs started killing, looting and burning down village after village.
Yosar's mother, Firoza Begum, says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. They heard loud bangs and watched as flames swallowed almost everything they owned.
They piled into an overcrowded wooden boat and headed to neighboring Bangladesh. But the journey did not end there.
The family continued for another day — on foot, inside rickshaws and on the back of a truck — Yosar still in the green-and-white school clothes he was wearing when he left Myanmar.
"I wore black shoes and black socks, too," says the second-grader, who misses his school. "But I forgot to bring them when we fled our home."
Finally, on Oct. 2, Yosar and his family made it to a relative's house in Bangladesh.
In this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and walks past a muddy patch in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, center, carries his baby sister Noyem Fatima and wait too board a boat to cross a creek leading to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Yosar's mother, Firoza Begum, says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. Yosar's dad didn't make it out. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Foriza Begum holds a fan to shield her son Yosar Hossein, 7, and two-year-old daughter Noyem Fatima, on their way to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Yosar and his family walked for six days, together with two aunts and several cousins, eating whatever they could find, resting very little, until they reached the shore of the mighty Naf River. He managed to carry his younger sister all the way. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, newly arrived Rohingya refugee Yosar Hossein, 7, wearing white shirt, travels with his family and other refugees on a boat towards a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh. Barefoot and still wearing his school uniform, the 7-year-old is among more than a half million persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing neighboring Myanmar. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Firoza Begum narrates the story of her family with her children standing beside her at a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Begum says their home in Rathedaung township was attacked just before dawn two weeks ago. They heard loud bangs and watched as flames swallowed almost everything they owned. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, two-year old Noyem Fatima offers a piece of banana to her elder brother Yosar Hossein, 7, as they sit on a sidewalk with their belongings in Leda, Bangladesh. Hossein carried his baby sister Noyem for seven days fleeing from their village in Myanmar to a refugee camp in Bangladesh with their mother and other siblings. Gemunu Amarasinghe AP PhotoIn this Oct. 2, 2017 photo, Rohingya boy Yosar Hussein, 7, smiles as his mother asks him to return as he takes a quick dip in a creek, during their journey to a Bangladesh army run processing center where they will be allotted their camp, in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Yosar and his family walked for six days, eating whatever they could find, resting very little, until they reached the shore of the mighty Naf River. Here they piled into an overcrowded wooden boat and headed to neighboring Bangladesh. The family continued for another day, on foot, inside rickshaws and on the back of a truck until they made it to a relative's house in Bangladesh. All the while, Yosar carried his two-year-old sister on his back. 
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