An impending monsoon season in Bangladesh is putting thousands of refugees from Rakhine state in Myanmar at risk, according to the Red Cross and Norwegian Refugee Council.
The predominantly Rohingya refugees fled a military offensive by Myanmar security forces and local militia that was described by the UN as a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing.” Most now live in bamboo shelters near the Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar.
“June, July and August will be difficult because of the monsoon,” says the ICRC’s Jamshedul Karim. “You can see people have built houses on these hills, but most of the hills don’t have enough trees left to hold down the soil. During the monsoon, with heavy rain, many people will be at risk.” Credit: ICRC via Storyful
