(Cox’s Bazar) Some 4,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were left homeless after a suspected arson attack ravaged their camp, burning down nearly 800 shelters, a Bangladeshi official said on Sunday.
Bangladesh hosts around a million Rohingya, many of whom fled Myanmar’s 2017 military crackdown on the mostly Muslim minority, which is now under UN investigation for genocide.
The UN refugee agency said “around 7,000 Rohingya refugees” were homeless, but no casualties were reported.
The fire ravaged a set of bamboo and tarpaulin shelters early Sunday morning in a camp in the southeast of the country, according to refugee commissioner Mizanur Rahman.
PHOTO SHAFIQUR RAHMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The fire, which was brought under control and caused no casualties, left around 4,000 people homeless, according to refugee commissioner Mizanur Rahman.
“At least 711 shelters were completely burned and 63 partially damaged,” Rahman said, adding that five educational centers and two mosques were also destroyed.
The fire, which was brought under control and caused no casualties, left around 4,000 people homeless, he said.
“We suspect arson,” added the official, adding that an investigation has been opened.
The UN refugee agency confirmed that “a large fire had damaged many refugee shelters”, adding that it was “rescuing those affected”.
Fires are common in Bangladesh’s dozens of Rohingya refugee camps, particularly during the dry season from November to April.
Many camps are also torn apart by violence between rival Rohingya groups.
Security in the camps has deteriorated in recent months, according to police who recorded more than 60 refugees killed in internecine wars and drug-related conflicts last year, the highest number on record.
In March 2023, a fire in Kutupalong camp, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, destroyed some 2,000 shelters.
Two years earlier, at least 15 Rohingya were killed and another 50,000 refugees were left homeless after a fire in the same camp.