Over 130 refugees from Myanmar have been on a hunger strike at the Matia Transit Camp in Assam, India since Monday, according to a Thursday Facebook post from Rohingya rights activist Sabber Kyaw Min. The strike highlights the group’s demands for release from indefinite detention and resettlement under the care of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The detainees, many of whom fled Myanmar following a military crackdown in 2017, include 103 Rohingya Muslims and 30 Christian Chin refugees. Despite holding refugee cards issued by the UNHCR, they remain in detention after serving their sentences for entering India without proper documentation. According to officials, the camp—India’s largest facility for undocumented migrants—houses over 200 people.

The protesters are calling for their transfer to the UNHCR and eventual resettlement in a third country. The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R) has also voiced concern over their prolonged detention, emphasizing that many of the detainees have completed their jail terms. The organization describes the living conditions in the camp as inhumane, citing inadequate water, poor healthcare, and substandard food.

India, which is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, does not officially recognize refugees, complicating their legal status. Authorities in Assam have acknowledged the protests, with senior officials visiting the camp to assess the situation. Assam’s Chief Secretary, Ravi Kota, told the Scroll stated that the state government is reviewing the legal status of the detainees and has initiated discussions with national agencies to address their concerns.

The UNHCR has reiterated that detention should only be a last resort, according to international standards, and expressed readiness to collaborate with Indian authorities to find a solution. Meanwhile, the hunger strike continues, with protesters hoping for intervention that could end their uncertain future in detention.