COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: The UN refugee agency called on Thursday for additional land to ease overcrowding in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps after heavy rains triggered landslides that have killed at least 15 people.
More than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, many of whom fled Myanmar during a brutal military crackdown in 2017, live in congested camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar.
The refugees live in basic shelters on hillsides cleared of trees — making the land unstable during monsoon rains.
Since Monday, at least 15 people have died in the camps and more than 4,000 refugees have been displaced after torrential rains triggered multiple landslides, officials said.
In a report on Thursday, the UNHCR highlighted severe congestion in the camps and renewed calls for space expansion.
