Fire in refugee camp in Bangladesh left thousands of people without a roof-UN
2023.03.07 03:46
Fire in refugee camp in Bangladesh left thousands of people without a roof-UN
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – According to the United Nations, a fire that destroyed a camp in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh has resulted in the displacement of more than 12,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the fire on Sunday destroyed more than 2,000 shelters and more than 90 facilities, including hospitals and educational facilities. The majority of the more than one million Rohingya who have fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017 live in camps in Cox’s Bazar.
According to Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh is looking into what caused the fire. It will be clear whether or not it was sabotage once we receive the report,” he added.
In the crowded camp with its improvised structures, fires frequently break out. At least 15 refugees were killed and over 10,000 homes were destroyed in a massive fire in March 2021.
Shafiur Rahman, a 24-year-old resident, pleaded with the authorities to provide better facilities. Myanmar set our homes on fire. He continued, “Now we are going through the same thing here.”
Additionally, Amnesty International urged the Bangladeshi government to provide refugees with safer housing.
Yasasmin Kaviratne, the organization’s South Asia regional campaigner, stated, “The government should recognize the danger of keeping large communities in unsafe, overcrowded conditions and take steps to provide the Rohingya community with adequate and safe housing.”
More Rohingya refugees are leaving Bangladesh by boat for countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, risking their lives, as a result of rising crime, difficult living conditions, and bleak prospects for returning to Myanmar. According to data from the United Nations, it is believed that 348 Rohingya people perished at sea in 2017.
