Bangladesh approves $723m package for Rohingya, host communities

Approval comes amid calls for funding as persecuted Rohingya struggle to survive in crowded refugee camps

DHAKA:

The Bangladesh government on Tuesday approved two separate projects of Taka 84.82 billion ($723 million) for the persecuted Rohingya refugees and host communities in southeastern Cox’s Bazar.

Chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the package. The financing will come from the government and foreign donors.

A total of 13 government agencies will implement the two projects.

Read also: Two killed in Bangladesh as fighting rages on Myanmar border: police

The Bangladeshi prime minister earlier called for finding new sources of funding for Rohingya as the funds for the displaced Myanmar nationals have decreased.

About 1.2 million Rohingya are living in the South Asian country. The majority of Rohingya fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine, Myanmar in 2017. Most of them are housed in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, but since late 2020 about 35,000 have been relocated to the island of Bhasan Char.