7-1-2024 (BANGLADESH) A catastrophic suspected arson attack has ravaged a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, rendering approximately 4,000 residents homeless as nearly 800 homes were consumed by the fire, according to official reports on January 7.
Bangladesh hosts around a million Rohingya refugees, many of whom escaped a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017, now under investigation by the United Nations for potential genocide.
The blaze, which erupted in the early hours of January 7, engulfed the densely packed camp consisting of bamboo and tarpaulin shelters in the country’s southeast, disclosed refugee commissioner Mizanur Rahman.
“At least 711 shelters were fully burnt, and 63 were partially damaged,” Rahman stated, revealing the destruction of five education centres and two mosques. The incident left 4,000 individuals homeless, although there were no reported casualties, and authorities have brought the fire under control.
A suspected act of arson has prompted an official investigation into the incident, as revealed by Rahman, who stated, “We suspect it is an act of arson.”
The UN refugee agency acknowledged that the “large fire damaged many refugee shelters” and affirmed its commitment to “supporting people affected.”
Fires are recurrent in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, particularly during the dry season from November to April. However, these camps also grapple with internal violence between rival Rohingya factions.
Law enforcement indicated a deterioration in security within the camps, witnessing over 60 refugee deaths in turf wars and drug-related clashes in 2023, marking the highest recorded number. In March 2023, a fire in Kutupalong camp, one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, decimated 2,000 shelters. Two years earlier, a blaze in the same camp claimed the lives of at least 15 Rohingya and displaced 50,000 refugees.
