The fire has completely decimated parts of the Rohingya refugee camp Photo AFP
Bangladesh – On Sunday afternoon a massive fire raced through the packed refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims in Southern Bangladesh. The blaze, which erupted at Camp 11 in Cox’s Bazar, has left close to 12 000 thousands Rohingya Muslims homeless.
The fire has destroyed more than 2 000 shelters but this is not the first time a fire has broken out at the refugee camp. Dr. Ambia Perveen, Chairperson European Rohingya Council based in Germany, explained there have been many fires before but none were as bad as this.
“This is not the first time. There were several fire accidents or incidents that have happened in this refugee camp where more than one million vulnerable survivors of genocide live. I hope this will be the last time. The Bangladesh Prime Minister last year in September said in an interview that the Rohingyas are a burden to the country and they cannot take care of us.”
Since this statement was made, Perveen feels it has become more dangerous to live in the refugee camps. The fires that broke out in the past happened under suspicious circumstances but they have not been fully investigated.
“The previous incidents, there were a lack of investigations. Up till now we don’t know what went wrong. They were not prepared for these kinds of incidents. The past incidents have not prepared them on how to tackle [these fires] in the future.”
The damage the fire has caused
While thousands have lost their homes and possessions, they have also lost any evidence of their existence, Perveen said with a heavy heart. Any documentation the Rohingya refugees had on them has been lost to the raging fire.
“The vulnerable people have been praying for their lives. They lost everything. They now have no evidence, if they have to go back to their country, the repatriation, the process, the papers, the legal documentation and many things have all been lost.”
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The conditions of the refugee camp
Around 65% of the refugee camp is made up of women and children. The conditions in the camp, and the fact that houses are built close together contributed to the spread of the fire. With Ramadaan coming up, many are worried how they will survive, said Perveen.
“There was already an announcement from the World Food Programme that they will reduce the rations. This has also made the people think how they will survive Ramadan. They have lost almost everything. These are vulnerable people and they need to be protected.”
Almost everyone in the camp has suffered some trauma and children see it on a daily basis, said Perveen. People have decided to risk their lives and go to Malaysia in search of a better life.
“If these people are exposed to traumas daily how will they develop into a healthy person? The children will be mentally and morally lost. People are moving and taking the dangerous journey to move to Malaysia in search of a better life. After this devastation and the several incidents, it will be the children that will suffer. The woman will suffer and they will be engaged with every crime, especially human trafficking and drug trafficking.”
While no casualties have been reported, it does not mean no harm has been done. Perveen is concerned how these events will mentally kill the soul and mind of the Rohingya people, especially the children. She has called on the international community to ensure Bangladesh performs a proper investigation into how the fire started and to assist in any way they can.
To find out what Dr. Ambia Perveen thinks about the World Food Programme slashing food rations, you can listen to the podcast here:
