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Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – According to the UN, 436,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since the latest round of violence against them began in neighbouring Myanmar’s Rakhine state a month ago.
Flimsy tents made of tattered tarpaulin and plastic sheets now cover much of the Bangladeshi port city of Cox’s Bazar.
Those erected by aid agencies are overflowing, forcing others to create their own makeshift shelters with whatever they can find.
But heavy rains, high humidity and stifling heat have made conditions worse. The stench of human faeces grows stronger every day. Refugees must wade through ankle-deep mud, often barefoot and with minimal clothing after fleeing their homes with few belongings.
International aid agencies and local charities and local volunteers are working tirelessly to provide what they can, but the numbers in need are overwhelming and the challenges daunting in camps without clean water or sanitation, and where the outbreak of disease seems imminent.
