March 2021 Rohingya refugee-camp fire

Last updated

March 2021 Rohingya refugee-camp fire
March 2021 Rohingya refugee-camp fire.jpg
March 2021 Rohingya refugee-camp fire
Date22 March 2021 (2021-03-22)
Location Balukhali refugee camp, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh
Coordinates 21°11′N92°10′E / 21.19°N 92.16°E / 21.19; 92.16 Coordinates: 21°11′N92°10′E / 21.19°N 92.16°E / 21.19; 92.16
Deaths15
Non-fatal injuries560
Missing400
Bangladesh and Myanmar located in Southeast Asia. Red dots denote capital cities of each country. Bangladesh, Myanmar region.png
Bangladesh and Myanmar located in Southeast Asia. Red dots denote capital cities of each country.

On 22 March 2021, a fire that had started during the late afternoon in the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, destroyed a large portion of the camp, killed over a dozen people, and left nearly a thousand injured or missing. Thought to have begun when gas cylinders used for cooking exploded, 100 firemen fought the blaze, which burned for around eight hours until midnight.

Contents

The fire displaced roughly 50,000 Rohingya refugees of the genocide in Myanmar and destroyed many buildings, including schools and food storage centres. First responders to the crisis were refugees from the camp itself. By the next day, aid agencies had joined the rescue effort, pledging food, cash, and equipment. Some observers reported that rescue efforts were hindered by barbed-wire fencing around the camp, suggesting that it may have slowed down escapees and possibly contributed to the casualties.

Background

Makeshift shacks in the Balukhali refugee camp in 2018 Rohingya shacks in Balukhali.jpg
Makeshift shacks in the Balukhali refugee camp in 2018

In 2017, the vast majority of Rohingya people were displaced and became refugees as a result of the genocide. [1] At the peak of the crisis in 2017, over a million Rohingya were forced to flee to other countries. Most fled to Bangladesh while others escaped to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. According to the United Nations, as of July 2019, over 742,000 Rohingya people who had fled or been driven out of Rakhine State sought refuge in Bangladesh. [2] [3]

The Balukhali camp is believed to be part of the largest refugee camp in the world, and held approximately one-tenth of Bangladesh's one million Rohingya refugees. [4] [5] [6] The UNHCR regional representative stated that women and children made up the majority of its population. [7] It had experienced a previous large fire in 2017, caused by exploding gas cylinders. Smaller fires had broken out in the two days previously, destroying a number of huts, while January 2021 had seen another fire which had burned down four schools. [4]

The Bangladeshi government has been moving refugees to Bhasan Char island in the Bay of Bengal, a policy widely condemned since the island could easily be submerged by a tropical cyclone. [8] [note 1]

Fire

During the late afternoon of 22 March 2021 a fire broke out in the Balukhali camp, southwest of Cox's Bazar. [9] Residents later described how it had started in the south and spread with great speed [4] through four blocks, [10] and that panic broke out as people tried to escape. [9]

The World Food Programme said a number of its food distribution warehouses had been destroyed, [5] as had health clinics, mosques, community centres, and a safe space for women run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). [9] The head of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement delegation in Bangladesh stated over 17,000 shelters [4] —possibly 40,000 [9] and most of them, constructed from bamboo and tarpaulin, [11] makeshift [9] —were destroyed, displacing "tens of thousands of people". [4]

Local reports stated the fire was burning eight hours after it broke out, [6] and continued "well into the night", reported Time magazine. [12] A Rohingya refugee was reported by NPR as telling them how "everything has gone. Thousands are without homes"; conversely, suggested the Catholic Relief Services, it was lucky that the fire had broken out in the afternoon rather than at night, as "people were moving around and children were outside playing, so they could quickly evacuate". [9] The Times of India stated that "at least four teams of firefighters were struggling to control the blaze" and that videos posted to social media showed thick black smoke covering the camp. [10]

Victims

Yesterday before the fire started, my kids went to study at the Islamic school. I did not see them after they came back. I found two of my older kids but I still can’t find my youngest son. [12]

Shappuni, a Rohingya refugee, Time magazine

First reports indicated that at least 15 people had died, with around another 400 missing, according to the UNHCR, who described it as "massive, it is devastating". [4] The majority of the camp's refugees were women and children, [7] and a government spokesperson confirmed that a number of the dead were children [9] and that many of the missing were buried in the rubble. The UNHCR also suggested that 560 people had been injured and 45,000 displaced.

Investigation

The cause of the fire was unknown, although under investigation by Bangladesh Police. A number of human rights observers criticised the placement of barbed wire around the camp, arguing that it had prevented people [4] —"including especially vulnerable women and girls", said the IRC [9] —from fleeing the fire, and perhaps contributed to the death toll. [4] [6] Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) argued that "this tragic event could have been less disastrous had barbed wire fencing not been erected encircling the camps. NRC staff have heard horrific accounts from refugees about their scramble to cut through the wire fences to save their families, escape the fire and reach safety". [12] Police, however, rejected the claims regarding barbed wire, [11] [note 2] and a government spokesman, reported Channel News Asia, stated that "the fencing was not a major issue", blaming the speed with which the fire spread rather than the barbed-wire fencing for casualties. [8]

External image
Searchtool.svg Aftermath of fire, taken 23 March 2021 [7]

Also questioned was why fires appeared to start with relative frequency, with a local fire brigade official stating three fires had occurred in four days; Amnesty International stated that, in their view, the "frequency of fire in the camps is too coincidental, especially when outcomes of previous investigations into the incidents are not known and they keep repeating", while a spokesman for the refugees noted that "It is not clear why these fire incidents are happening repeatedly in the camps". [4] CBS reported that Bangladesh suspects arson, noting that "officials there say it's too much of a coincidence to have so many fires in such a short time period". [13] Although the fire had died down within 48 hours, its cause was still unknown. [7]

Response

The World Food Programme (WFP) believed up to 87,500 people would ultimately be affected by the fire, [12] with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement putting the figure at 123,000. [12] [note 3] Aid agencies said the situation would remain critical due to the proximity of the cyclone season. [12]

Foreign aid

First responders to the fire were Rohingya refugees themselves. [7] The Voice of America reported that multiple aid agencies dispatched "emergency assistance". [7] The spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that he had "never before seen anything as massive and devastating", and that ground-based teams were carrying out a search and rescue operation in the rubble. [7] UNICEF operatives were also working in the camp, both administering immediate first aid and assisting with rehousing where possible. Relief and rescue operations were coordinated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), [7] who provided one million dollars for the relief effort. [11] [note 4] while the WFP dispatched a shipment of high-energy biscuits to the camp, and had arranged for 60,000 hot meals to be provided by the following day. [7] On 25 March 2021, the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) released $14 Million to rebuild shelter and provide affected people with food, water and sanitation services, and other emergency support. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Critics of the government's plan argue that the island "only emerged from the sea about 20 years ago [and] risks being overwhelmed by storms". [8]
  2. ↑ However, AFP noted that they had not been able to "independently... verify the claims about the fence". [11]
  3. ↑ Time noted that "the differing figures could not immediately be reconciled". [12]
  4. ↑ However, the IOM also believed that another 20 million dollars would be needed to just to rectify the most urgent problems. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee camp</span> Temporary settlement for refugees

A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced people. Usually, refugees seek asylum after they have escaped war in their home countries, but some camps also house environmental and economic migrants. Camps with over a hundred thousand people are common, but as of 2012, the average-sized camp housed around 11,400. They are usually built and run by a government, the United Nations, international organizations, or non-governmental organization. Unofficial refugee camps, such as Idomeni in Greece or the Calais jungle in France, are where refugees are largely left without support of governments or international organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cox's Bazar District</span> District of Bangladesh in Chattogram Division

Cox's Bazar is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. It is named after Cox's Bazar town. It is located 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa. Another old name was Palongkee. The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox, an army officer who served in British India. It is one of the fishing ports of Bangladesh. At Cox's Bazar is one of the world's longest natural sea beaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohingya people</span> Indo-Aryan ethnic group of western Myanmar

The Rohingya people are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Rohingya lived in Myanmar. Described by journalists and news outlets as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, the Rohingya are denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law. There are also restrictions on their freedom of movement, access to state education and civil service jobs. The legal conditions faced by the Rohingya in Myanmar have been compared to apartheid by some academics, analysts and political figures, including Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, a South African anti-apartheid activist. The most recent mass displacement of Rohingya in 2017 led the International Criminal Court investigating crimes against humanity, and led to the International Court of Justice investigating genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cox's Bazar</span> City in Bangladesh

Cox's Bazar is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located 150 km (93 mi) south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as "yellow flower". Another old name was "Palongkee".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohingya conflict</span> Sectarian conflict in western Myanmar since 1947

The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State, characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities, a military crackdown on Rohingya civilians by Myanmar's security forces, and militant attacks by Rohingya insurgents in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships, which border Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Rohingya refugee crisis</span> Mass human migration crisis

In 2015, tens of thousands of Rohingya people were forcibly displaced from their villages and IDP camps in Rakhine State, Myanmar, due to sectarian violence. Some fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, but most travelled to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand by rickety boats via the waters of the Strait of Malacca, Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohingya genocide</span> Ongoing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar (Burma)

The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions and killings of the Muslim Rohingya people by the Burmese military. The genocide has consisted of two phases to date: the first was a military crackdown that occurred from October 2016 to January 2017, and the second has been occurring since August 2017. The crisis forced over a million Rohingya to flee to other countries. Most fled to Bangladesh, resulting in the creation of the world's largest refugee camp, while others escaped to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia, where they continue to face persecution. The United States, United Kingdom, and other countries refer to the events as "ethnic cleansing".

Violent clashes have been ongoing in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State since October 2016. Insurgent attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) have led to sectarian violence perpetrated by Myanmar's military and the local Buddhist population against predominantly Muslim Rohingya civilians. The conflict has sparked international outcry and was described as an ethnic cleansing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In August 2017, the situation worsened and hundreds of thousands of refugees fled Myanmar into Bangladesh, with an estimated 500,000 refugees having arrived by 27 September 2017. In January 2019, Arakan Army insurgents raided border police posts in Buthidaung Township, joining the conflict and beginning their military campaign in northern Rakhine State against the Burmese military.

Bhasan Char, also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya Upazila, Bangladesh. Until 2019 it was known as Thengar Char. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Sandwip island and 37 miles (60 km) from the mainland.

Balukhali refugee camp is a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The International Organization for Migration refers to the collective settlement of Balukhali and neighbouring Kutupalong refugee camp as the Kutupalong–Balukhali expansion site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh</span> Displaced persons from Myanmar in Bangladesh

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh mostly refer to Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) from Myanmar who are living in Bangladesh. The Rohingya people have experienced ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar for decades. Hundreds of thousands have fled to other countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. The majority have escaped to Bangladesh, where there are two official, registered refugee camps. Recently violence in Myanmar has escalated, so the number of refugees in Bangladesh has increased rapidly. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 723,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Mora</span>

Severe Cyclonic Storm Mora was a moderate but deadly tropical cyclone that caused widespread devastation and severe flooding in Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Northeast India in May 2017. The second named storm of the 2017 annual cyclone season, Mora developed from an area of low pressure over the southeastern Bay of Bengal on May 28. Mora reached peak strength with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph). The cyclone made landfall near Chittagong on the morning of May 30 and steadily weakened, dissipating early in the morning on May 31. Across its path, Mora dropped a large amount of rain, including 225mm of rainfall in Chittagong and northeast India. The storm is estimated to have caused damages nearing US$300 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutupalong refugee camp</span> Place in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh

Kutupalong refugee camp is the world's largest refugee camp. It is in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, inhabited mostly by Rohingya refugees that fled from ethnic and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar. It is one of two government-run refugee camps in Cox's Bazaar, the other being the Nayapara refugee camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nayapara refugee camp</span> Place in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh

The Nayapara refugee camp is a refugee camp in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. It is located next to the village of Dhumdumia and is inhabited mostly by Rohingya people that have fled from religious persecution in the neighboring country Myanmar. It is one of two government-run refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, the other being the larger Kutupalong refugee camp. The two refugee camps had a combined population of around 30,000 refugees in July 2017. In September 2017, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that the combined population of the two refugee camps had increased to over 77,000. As of 14 January 2018, the estimated population of Nayapara refugee camp is around 23,065.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kha Maung Seik massacre</span> Massacre in Rakhine State, Myanmar

On 25 August 2017, Hindu villages in a cluster known as Kha Maung Seik in the northern Maungdaw District of Rakhine State in Myanmar were attacked and 99 Bengali Hindu villagers were massacred by Muslim insurgents from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). A month later, the Myanmar Army discovered mass graves containing the corpses of 45 Hindus, most of whom were women and children.

Leda makeshift settlement is a refugee camp constructed for Rohingya refugees on government-owned land in Nhilla Union of the Teknaf sub-district in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The camp is located some 15 km (9.3 mi) from Teknaf town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Bangladesh cyclone</span> Category 4 North Indian tropical cyclone in 1994

The 1994 Bangladesh cyclone was a powerful tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone closely followed the path, strength, and time of year of a deadly cyclone in 1991 that killed more than 138,000 people. The 1994 cyclone formed on April 29 as a depression, which organized and intensified significantly over the subsequent few days. On May 2, the cyclone attained winds of 215 km/h (135 mph), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). That day, the storm made landfall in southeastern Bangladesh, and rapidly weakened over land, before dissipating on May 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bangladesh in March 2020. The first three known cases were reported on 8 March 2020 by the country's epidemiology institute, IEDCR. Since then, the pandemic has spread day by day over the whole nation and the number of affected people has been increasing. Bangladesh is the second most affected country in South Asia, after India.

2021 (MMXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 21st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2020s decade.

Rima Sultana Rimu is a Bangladeshi women's rights activists and advocate for gender-responsive humanitarian action in Cox's Bazar. She was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women for 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Rohingya Refugee Crisis". OCHA. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Myanmar: Security forces face 'action' over killings". Al Jazeera News. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Rohingya emergency". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Bangladesh probes deadly fire at Rohingya camp, 400 missing". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Rohingya refugee camp fire: Several dead, hundreds missing and thousands homeless". BBC News. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bangladesh: 'massive' fire in Rohingya refugee camps forces 50,000 to flee". The Guardian . Agence France-Presse. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Massive Fire in Cox's Bazar Damages Rohingya Refugee Camp". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 "Aid workers struggle to reunite Rohingya children separated by deadly fire". CNA. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hundreds Missing In Aftermath Of Fire At Rohingya Refugee Camp". NPR. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Fire in Rohingya Camp: Fire guts hundreds of shelters in Rohingya refugee camp | World News". The Times of India. Associated Press. 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Deadly fire at Bangladesh refugee camp leaves tens of thousands of Rohingya homeless". France 24. 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "15 Dead, 560 Injured, After Rohingya Refugee Camp Fire". Time. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "At least 15 killed by huge fire at Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh". CBS News. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "UN emergency fund allocates $14 million for Rohingya refugees left homeless by massive fire". UN News. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.