Fire in Bangladesh Camp Displaces Around 7,000 Rohingya

Officials reported that a fire broke out in a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, destroying approximately 800 shelters and displacing thousands. Firefighters and Rohingya volunteers managed to control the blaze after about three hours. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated that around seven thousand Rohingya are now homeless due to the fire, and about 120 facilities, including mosques and healthcare centers, were affected. It noted that "the cause of the fire is still unknown, but government authorities have assured us that they will investigate the cause of the fire." Nearly one million members of the Muslim minority from Myanmar live in overcrowded camps made of bamboo and plastic in the border area of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a crackdown in their country in 2017.