The EU has granted €300,000 to help the impacted people in reaction to the recent fire in one of the camps that house almost a million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. More than 5,000 people were rendered homeless as a result of the tragedy.
The money will be used to meet the most pressing needs, particularly those for water, shelter, and site development, by providing immediate emergency assistance.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will carry it out, enhancing the work of other humanitarian partners.
In the early hours of 7 January, a large fire broke out in one of the most congested camps, Camp 5, where it quickly spread. Close to 950 shelters burned down or were partially destroyed. The fire also damaged communal facilities, including one health centre, 15 learning centres, as well as numerous latrines and washrooms.
Despite the significant damage, no casualties have been reported as of yet because of the fire department’s quick response and the vital assistance of Rohingya community volunteers.
Since the crowded camps often experience fires, humanitarian partners have benefited from EU-funded disaster preparedness programs that have strengthened camp structures and improved their readiness for such threats.
The EU gave Bangladesh more than €38 million in humanitarian aid last year, mostly in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis and to lessen the effects of natural disasters. This additional funding is on top of that amount. When a horrific fire occurred in the Cox’s Bazar camps in March of last year, the EU granted €1 million to help the displaced refugees.
