Fire blazes through Rohingya refugee camp, destroying hundreds of homes
Children and their families have lost what little they had
COX’S BAZAR, January 14 – A devastating fire has destroyed at least 500 makeshift homes in the camps for Rohingya refugees in the southern district of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
Save the Children's Country Director in Bangladesh, Onno van Manen, said:
“This is another devastating blow for the Rohingya people who have endured unspeakable hardship for years. Since 2017, more than one million Rohingya refugees, half of whom are children, have lived in cramped camps after being violently forced from their homes across the border in Myanmar to escape unimaginable violence.
"Today's devastating fire will have robbed many families of what little shelter and belongings they had. It stands as another ghastly reminder that children stuck in the camps in Cox’s Bazar face a bleak future with little freedom of movement, inadequate access to education, poverty, serious protection risks and abuse including child marriage.
“Put simply, despite the relentless efforts of humanitarian communities, a refugee camp is no place for a child to grow up. This is why the international community must find a lasting and durable solution to the plight of the Rohingya.
“In addition, the international community must fully fund the humanitarian response for the Rohingya crisis, which is woefully under-funded. Without adequate funding, essential lifesaving services for the Rohingya will suffer.”
ENDS
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