UN Seeks International Support for Rohingya Refugee Crisis

GENEVA - The U.N. refugee agency is seeking $943 million to provide life-saving assistance for more than 880,000 Rohingya refugees and 472,000 Bangladeshis in the communities hosting them. Most of the refugees, some 740,000, fled violence and persecution in Myanmar in 2017. 

They since have been living in squalid, overcrowded settlements in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. U.N. refugee spokesman Andrej Mahecic said they remain vulnerable, faced with an uncertain future.  "With the refugee crisis in its fourth year, Bangladesh needs robust and sustained international support to ensure safety and well-being of stateless Rohingya refugees," he said, ahead of next week's donor conference. "This must not become a forgotten crisis. Both Rohingya refugees and Bangladesh, having generously hosted them for decades, must see the world standing with them."  Mahecic said the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded vulnerabilities for refugees and host communities. So far, he said, the government and aid agencies have managed to prevent the disease from spreading widely throughout the camps and surrounding area.