U.N., Humanitarian Groups Appeal For Assistance For Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh; Camps Raise Risk Of Disease Outbreaks

IRIN: Disease fears grow as Bangladesh plans giant Rohingya refugee camp
“…The challenge for the Bangladeshi government is … constructing the equivalent of a small city from scratch in the middle of a humanitarian emergency. … Missing is the vital infrastructure to support a vulnerable and swelling refugee population: water, toilets, or even the access roads that would help build them. This has raised concerns that overcrowding could trigger outbreaks of disease, from measles and diphtheria to dysentery and cholera, which is endemic in Bangladesh…” (Wadud, 10/4).

Reuters: Aid groups seek $434 million to help up to 1.2 million Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar
“Humanitarian organizations helping Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh said on Wednesday they need $434 million over the next six months to help up to 1.2 million people, most of them children, in dire need of life-saving assistance…” (Bhatia, 10/4).

U.N. News Centre: Rohingya refugees living in ‘dire’ conditions, senior U.N. officials warn, appealing for assistance
“The human tragedy unfolding in southern Bangladesh is staggering in its scale, warned two senior United Nations officials [Wednesday] as they wrapped up a mission to Cox’s Bazar with calls for a ‘significant increase in assistance’ for the thousands of Rohingyas [who] have settled in the area after fleeing violence in neighboring Myanmar. … In the last few weeks, well over half a million Rohingya people have crossed the Myanmar border into Bangladesh, making this the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency…” (10/4).

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