Who are the ‘outsiders’ blamed for Rohingya camp fires?

Dhaka Tribune
Udisa Islam
Publish : 03 Jun 2024,  

• Balukhali camp most affected in 5 years
• Most fires erupted at night
  

BGB members assist firefighting units at Ukhiya Rohingya camp-13 fire in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo: Courtesy

 

Two recent fire incidents destroyed hundreds of houses at Ukhiya Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar. The first fire incident occurred on May 24 and the latest on Saturday. The Rohingyas have always referred to the fire incidents at the camp as sabotage. However, they also mention that some unknown people or outsiders had set fire to the camp. 

On May 24, a fire broke out at camp-13 in Balukhali which was brought under control after two hours. The fire started at around 11:30am and razed at least 250 houses to the ground.

Saturday’s fire also gutted at least 200 houses at the same camp.

An analysis of campfire incidents over the past five years has shown that most fires occur at night. Several large-scale fires broke out across Balukhali and Ukhiya over the years. It is known that outsiders working inside the camp do not stay there after 4pm. In that case, the question remains who are the outsiders that the Rohingyas are putting the blame on.

In the first five months of 2024, more than 1,500 houses were burned in fire incidents in the Ukhiya refugee camp. Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence official Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter. According to him, since 2020, there have been an average of 60 fire incidents per year. However, the number is greater as per the claim of the Rohingyas.

According to a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defence, a total of 222 fire incidents have occurred in Rohingya camps in the two years from January 2021 to December 2022. Of these, 63 fires were either malicious or intentionally set. Some 99 fires were accidental, and 63 were of unknown cause. Moreover, 60 fire incidents occurred in 2023.

After each fire incident, the fire service did not say anything specific about the source of the fire. However, in almost every case, the fire spread following an explosion of the gas cylinder. Houses, hospitals, and learning centres were the most affected by these fires. However, camp residents claim that there is a lot of flammable material inside the camps, which leads to more devastation.

A leader of the Balukhali camp, who did not want to be named, spoke to this reporter. He said: "We do not think that all the fire incidents are accidental. Many fires are set out of enmity. There is also the issue of establishing supremacy in the area. There is a three-pronged situation at the camp. The Arakan Salvation Army (Arsa) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) have a large number of supporters inside the camps. Fire incidents take place whenever a difference of opinion emerges.”

A Rohingya activist from Lambashia camp said: "There was a big fire due to the conflict between the terrorists. We don't know how this is possible amid such a security arrangement. In our opinion, strangers set the fires."

However, officials say there are no outsiders inside the camp in the evening.

The activists added: "These terrorist groups that are active here for control over the area are doing these. We don’t see their faces, but we are talking about them.”

Regarding the massive damages, fire service official Shafiqul Islam said: "It is difficult to enter the camp because of the narrow alleys and roads inside the camp. There is also a shortage of water sources. This has been mentioned since the beginning. However, the number of campfires has decreased. There is no contingency plan for this densely populated area in the event of a major incident. It is not possible to quickly bring the fire under control due to its location in the inaccessible mountains.”

On March 5, 2023, there was a fire incident at camp-11 in Balukhali. At that time, the fire quickly spread to the neighbouring camps 9 and 10. The probe committee then made several recommendations. However, officials responsible for monitoring the camps feel that there is no logical environment for implementing any of these recommendations.

The recommendations included making roads in each block of the Rohingya camp suitable for law enforcement and fire service vehicles, building water troughs along block roads, and using alternative tarpaulins in shelters, which are made of less-flammable materials. Apart from this, the recommendations also included the formation of a separate fire service unit for the camp, refraining from making outlets made of flammable materials in places other than markets and major roads inside the camp, and setting up layouts at the entrance. The probe committee also stressed creating awareness among the Rohingyas. The installation of wireless towers and 360 degree closed-circuit cameras and the installation of security fences to prevent fire from spreading to other camps were also included in the recommendations.

Refugees, Relief, and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mizanur Rahman said that there is no scope for building a wider road in the camp.

“When there is a fire, the surrounding houses are demolished by volunteers. The same thing was done in the case of Saturday's fire. The camp is densely populated and located in a hilly area, this road cannot be widened even if desired. He said that there is so much bamboo and plastic that even keeping water inside the camp is of no use. The fire spreads quickly anyway,” he added.
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