Nothing left: People standing near the site of a fire that broke out in Camp 16 looking for anything they can salvage. Most lost their homes and their identity documents too. — AP
A massive fire this week destroyed hundreds of makeshift homes and displaced more than 2,000 people in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, prompting calls Thursday from relief agencies for more funding to build safer housing and help provide emergency aid.
The fire broke out in the early morning hours of Tuesday in Camp 16, one of more than 30 camps in the Cox’s Bazar district that make up the world’s largest refugee centre, housing more than one million Rohingya who have fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said it had created a new crisis for families already struggling to survive.
“When fires strike in overcrowded camp settings, the impact extends far beyond damaged infrastructure,” said Lance Bonneau, IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh, in a statement.
“Families lose shelter, essential belongings, and access to basic services, increasing immediate protection risks.”
It took firefighters about three hours to bring the blaze under control.
While there were no fatalities and only a handful of minor injuries, many people lost not only their homes but also all their possessions, including identity documents and other important papers, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Thursday.
The aid organisation is among others operating inside the Cox’s Bazar camps.
Overall the fire, whose cause has not yet been determined, destroyed 335 shelters and damaged 72 more, the organisation said. It also damaged water and sanitation points in the camp, 11 learning centres and camp infrastructure and pathways.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2017 after the military launched a brutal crackdown on the Muslim minority group following insurgent attacks on guard posts in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh, swelling the numbers of refugees already in Cox’s Bazar.
The scale, organisation and ferocity of the Myanmar military operation led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community, including the UN.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, is currently hearing a case accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during its so-called “clearance operation” in 2017. Myanmar has denied the allegations. — AP
