The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has deployed several teams within Rohingya camp-16 in the city of Cox's Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh to provide assistance to refugees affected by a second devastating fire in one week
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2022) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has deployed several teams within Rohingya camp-16 in the city of Cox's Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh to provide assistance to refugees affected by a second devastating fire in one week.
On Sunday, a large fire broke out at the camp in Cox's Bazar. Over 1,200 residential units burned down. Thousands of Rohingya refugees and host community members were affected. The incident came a week after another fire broke at the refugee camp on January 2.
"IOM currently has a mobile medical team on the ground to provide assistance as needed. Additionally, IOM through its communications with communities team is being deployed within the camp to ensure people have access to good information," the organization said in a statement.
IOM has also mobilized non-food item kits to help those in need. In addition, the organization intends to conduct technical assessments in Cox's Bazar together with other humanitarian entities to assess and meet the needs of the refugees.
"We are coordinating with other humanitarian actors to ensure that those affected are provided with food, health, protection, water, sanitation, and hygiene needs. Shelter repair/rebuilding and access to cooking facilities - in the form of LPG (iquefied petroleum gas) are top priorities as the affected families seek to recover from the damages caused by the fire," Nusrath Ghazzali, officer-in-charge for IOM Bangladesh, said in the statement.
The conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine state between the Muslim Rohingya minority and the Buddhist majority dates back to the twentieth century. Central authorities and the Buddhist population consider the Rohingya to be undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh.
Tensions escalated in 2017 when Myanmar's military launched a major offensive on Rohingya villages and outposts in the Rakhine state after unidentified Islamic extremists attacked police and security posts. According to the United Nations, about 860,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar's large-scale campaign in 2017.
