DHAKA: UN agencies and Bangladesh government have assessed the need for $950 million fund to run the relief operations in Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar for another 10 months.
The move comes amid concerns that repatriation of refugees might take more time, while monsoon season will soon arrive in Bangladesh putting nearly 100,000 Rohingya refugees at risk of floods and landslide, according to computer modeling of the UNHCR.
The Rohingya camps are concentrated in southern part of the country that records the highest rainfall. The rains usually begin in April and fall heaviest in July, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
The biggest makeshift refugee camps of Kutupalong and Balukhali could have up to one-third of their land flooded during monsoon season, leaving more than 85,000 refugees homeless, according to the UNHCR. Another 23,000 refugees live on slopes at risk of landslide.
The UN will seek donor group assistance in the upcoming pledge meeting in Geneva scheduled for mid March.
“All UN agencies will be launching a Joint Response Plan in Geneva on March 16, seeking new funding for the Rohingya response for the rest of the year,” says Caroline Gluck, spokesperson for the UNHCR at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
“And we have been extremely grateful for the donor support until now. We hope the strong support will continue, moving forward, as the emergency needs are unlikely to decrease,” she adds.
Mohammad Abul Kalam, commissioner of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), told Arab News “In this new assessment of $950 million, we have included 25 percent amount for the wellbeing of the host communities since their livelihood is greatly affected by hosting these refugees.”
However, Rohingya refugees living in high-risk areas are being relocated to safer zones. An additional 500 acres of land have been allocated for the resettlement of 100,000 refugees who are at a great risk of mudslide in the upcoming monsoon season.
“We have already built quite a number of new sheds in the newly allocated area. Around 24,000 refugees from 400 families have been shifted to the new location who were extremely vulnerable to mudslide. Gradually, we will shift the rest of the 76,000 refugees as well. We expect to complete the process in the next two months,” said Kalam.
The UNHCR finds lack of available land as a big constraint in refugee resettlement and is therefore now focusing on improving circumstances inside the settlements, like raising bridges, reinforcing steps with sandbags, improving drainage system and strengthening the retaining walls.
However, the UNHCR feels more land is required to relocate the refugees.
“This land (500 acres), due to its topography, is only likely to be able to accommodate around 50,000 people. We estimate many more would need relocation,” says Caroline.
UN, Bangladesh govt to seek $950m pledge for Rohingya refugees
UN, Bangladesh govt to seek $950m pledge for Rohingya refugees
French minister pledges tight security at rally for killed activist
- Deranque’s death has fomented tensions ahead of municipal elections next month and presidential polls next year
- Macron has said there was no place in France “for movements that adopt and legitimize violence“
LYON: French police will be out in force at a weekend rally for a slain far-right activist, the interior minister said Friday, as the country seeks to contain anger over the fatal beating blamed on the hard left.
Quentin Deranque, 23, died from head injuries after being attacked by at least six people on the sidelines of a protest against a politician from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party in the southeastern city of Lyon last week.
His death has fomented tensions ahead of municipal elections next month and presidential polls next year, in which the far-right National Rally (RN) party is seen as having its best chance yet at winning the top job.
President Emmanuel Macron, who is serving his last year in office, has said there was no place in France “for movements that adopt and legitimize violence,” and urged the far right and hard left to clean up their act.
Deranque’s supporters have called for a march in his memory on Saturday in Lyon.
The Greens mayor of Lyon asked the state to ban it, but Interior Minister Laurent Nunez declined to do so.
Nunez said he had planned an “extremely large police deployment” with reinforcements from outside the city to ensure security at the rally expected to be attended by 2,000 to 3,000 people, and likely to see counter-protesters from the hard left show up.
“I can only ban a demonstration when there are major risks of public disorder and I am not in a position to contain them,” he told the RTL broadcaster.
“My role is to strike a balance between maintaining public order and freedom of expression.”
- ‘Fascist demonstration’ -
Jordan Bardella, the president of anti-immigration RN, has urged party members not to go.
“We ask you, except in very specific and strictly supervised local situations (a tribute organized by a municipality, for example), not to attend these gatherings nor to associate the National Rally with them,” he wrote in a message sent to party officials and seen by AFP.
LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard backed the mayor’s call for a ban, warning on X it would be a “fascist demonstration” that “over 1,000 neo-Nazis from all over Europe” were expected to attend.
Two people, aged 20 and 25, have been charged with intentional homicide in relation to the fatal beating, according to the Lyon prosecutor and their lawyers.
A third suspect has been charged with complicity in the killing.
Jacques-Elie Favrot, a 25-year-old former parliamentary assistant to LFI lawmaker Raphael Arnault, has admitted to having been present at the scene but denied delivering the blows that killed Deranque, his attorney said.
Favrot said “it was absolutely not an ambush, but a clash with a group of far-right activists,” he added.
Italy’s hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday said the killing of Deranque was “a wound for all of Europe.”
Referring to her comments, Macron said everyone should “stay in their own lane,” but Meloni later said that Macron had misinterpreted her comments.
Opinion polls put the far right in the lead for the presidency in 2027, when Macron will have to step down after the maximum two consecutive terms in office.
