British Red Cross

Bangladesh Population Movement 2017

Project disclaimer

Disclaimer: The data for this page has been produced from IATI data published by British Red Cross.

Description

October-December 2016: An initial influx of people from Rakhine State in Myanmar to Cox’s Bazar takes place, with some 87,000 arrivals recorded. These population movements are not a new event in this area. Historically, some Muslim communities from Rakhine have been migrating to Bangladesh over the past three decades, particularly in the coastal upazilas (sub-districts) of Teknaf and Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar district where they live as either refugees or without status. 29 December 2016: BDRCS had a subsequent meeting with Government of Bangladesh (GoB) authorities where they requested RC support. This support was agreed in early January 2017 after the rapid assessments teams returned on 1 January and their findings validated the severity of the situation, prompting a decision by BDRCS on 2 January to scale up the humanitarian assistance beyond their regular support. 30th May 2017: Cyclone Mora hit the district with both the camps and 20,000 houses in the surrounding area damaged. In the camps a quarter of buildings were affected and the electricity was shut off. This lack of lighting led to protection concerns with 80% of the camp's residents women and girls. Districts of Bandarban, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khagrachari and Rangamati experience the worst landslides in history, with at least 160 human lives lost. 25 August 2017: Violence in Myanmar’s state of Rakhine prompts a new influx of people into South East Bangladesh. As of 19 September 2017, the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) reported that an estimated 422,000 people have crossed the border into Bangladesh. November 2021:  the situation continues today as a protracted crisis because of the colossal number of displaced people – 884,000 people – who are completely reliant on humanitarian aid to meet their everyday needs amidst a backdrop of uncertainty on their future including the possibility of repatriation. These needs span food and basic needs, access to health services and safe water, shelter, protection services, and preparedness for seasonal cyclones and monsoon rains, and health disasters such as pandemics as well as protection against man-made disasters brought about by environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change.   Revised appeal 2021: Through the revised Emergency Appeal, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aims to continue supporting the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) in its response to the population movement crisis. This will be in line with the shared vision of BDRCS, IFRC and in-country Partner National Societies, in coordination with ICRC, to consolidate and improve on existing services to affected communities, in continued alignment with the three-pronged strategy adopted at the start of this operation i.e. the strategy to achieve integrated community resilience, social inclusion, and readiness for effective response.  

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Location

The country, countries or regions that benefit from this Programme.

Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma)

Disclaimer: Country borders do not necessarily reflect the UK Government's official position.