DHAKA: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Saturday the organisation is exploring the possibility of a humanitarian aid channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Guterres is on a four-day visit to Bangladesh that saw him meet on Friday with Rohingya refugees, threatened by looming humanitarian aid cuts. Around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim minority live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of whom arrived after fleeing the 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.

`We need to intensify humanitarian aid inside Myanmar to create a condition for that return (of the Rohingyas) to be successful,` Guterres said during a press briefing. Guterres suggested that under the right circumstances, having a `humanitarian channel` from Bangladesh would facilitate the return of the Rohingya community, but said it would require `authorisation and cooperation`.

Asked if dialogue with the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic minority rebel group in Myanmar, was essential for the repatriation of Rohingyas, Guterres said: `The Arakan Army is a reality in which we live.` He acknowledged that in the past relations with the AA have been difficult but said, `Necessary dialogue must take place`.

Guterres added that engaging with the AA was important as sanctions against the group would require the UN Security Council`s approval, which could prove difficult to obtain. `It`s essential to increase pressure from all the neighbours in order to guarantee that fighting ends and the way towards democracy finally established,` Guterres said.

The UN chief`s remarks came after human rights group Fortify Rights issued a statement urging the Bangladesh government to facilitate humanitarian aid and cross border trade to reach war-affected civilians in Myanmar`s Rakhine state.-AFP