14, May 2018 | CJP Team

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Bangladesh issued a release on Tuesday, May 8, announcing the first new land ready for the relocation of Rohingya refugees to safer ground ahead of the monsoon. This was part of a joint initiative between the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, and UNHCR, and involved several dozen earthmoving machines, and more than 3,500 workers, including members of the host community and Rohingya refugees. The release said that 12 acres of newly prepared land is ready for shelters and other vital services, such as water, hygiene, and education facilities, and is also ready for new homes for nearly 500 refugee families. Nearly 700,000 refugees have escaped from Myanmar since August 2017, making the total number of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh around 900,000. Around 200,000 people have been identified as being under high risk from landslides and floods following the onset of the cyclone season and heavy monsoon in Bangladesh that will take place in coming weeks. Currently, the immediate priority is to move the 24,000 people who are most threatened by landslides.