Major Fire Leaves Thousands of Rohingya Homeless in Bangladesh’s Kutupalong Refugee Camp

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Refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar

Fire leaves thousands of Rohingya homeless in Bangladesh

January 7, 2024, 1:13 p.m

A fire breaks out in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh in the early hours of the morning. The major fire raged for several hours. By the time rescue workers got the fire under control, hundreds of huts had been destroyed. Now thousands of people are homeless.

A major fire in a Rohingya refugee camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, has left several thousand people homeless. The fire raged in the early hours of Sunday morning in the refugee camp in the southeast of the country, which was densely built with shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulins, said refugee representative Mizanur Rahman. “At least 711 shelters are completely burnt and 63 are partially damaged,” Rahman said. The brand made 4,000 people homeless.

(Foto: picture Alliance/dpa/AP)

There were no victims, the refugee commissioner continued. The fire is now under control. According to Rahman, an investigation into the cause of the fire has been ordered: “We suspect that it was an act of arson.” The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it was providing support to those affected by the fire.

Increased risk of fire due to poor living conditions

Fires break out again and again in the Rohingya camps, especially in the dry season from November to April. The affected people then have to rebuild their huts, which are often made of bamboo and tarpaulins, with the support of aid organizations.

In March 2023, a fire destroyed 2,000 accommodations in the Kutupalong refugee settlement, one of the largest refugee camps in the world. Two years earlier, 15 Rohingya were killed in a fire there, leaving 50,000 people homeless.

People often live there without prospects or hope for a better future. In many camps there is violence between rival Rohingya gangs. According to police, security conditions have deteriorated. Last year, 60 refugees were killed in turf wars and drug-related clashes.

2024-01-09 06:36:25
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