Thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been left homeless by a massive fire at their camp.
Camp 11 in Cox’s Bazar was the scene of the blaze. This is a southeastern border area home to more than a million Rohingya refugees.
Rafiqul Islam, police superintendent, stated that although we don’t currently have an estimate of damages, there are reports of no casualties.
The police did not give an estimate of the number homes that were destroyed.
Islam said that the fire was under control and that a second officer from the police stated that it was not clear what caused the fire.
The area was also characterized by thick black smoke clouds.
Selim Ullah (40-year-old refugee, father of six children) said that he couldn’t save any. Everything was destroyed. Many people are now without homes. “I don’t know what will happen.”
“When we were in Myanmar, we faced many problems… our homes were burnt down. He added that it had happened again.
Many of the refugees in the region fled persecution by Myanmar’s military in 2017. Some were left homeless after Sunday’s fire.
After the military takeover, 2021 saw a worsening of the brutal crackdown.
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After authorities confirmed that mass atrocities were committed by the military during a campaign against the ethnic minority, the US declared last year that oppression in Myanmar of Rohingya amounts to genocide.
The Buddhist-majority Myanmar is a place where many Muslims Rohingya are subject to discrimination. They are denied citizenship, among other rights.
Cox’s Bazar refugee camp is prone to fires. In March 2021 , at least 15 people were killed in a fire that erupted in and more than 10,000 homes were destroyed.