Extra £12m pledged for Rohingya refugees

BRITAIN will spend an extra £12million on food, shelter and hygiene measures on top of its £35 million aid pledge in response to the “nightmare” Rohingya refugee crisis.

It is part of a £254million aid package promised by governments at an emergency conference on the crisis in Geneva yesterday. “During my recent visits to Burma and Bangladesh, I saw for myself the communities which have been so badly damaged by what is happening,” said Mark Field, minister for Asia, who was at the conference.

“I hope that the international community will continue to unite with the UK in its efforts and help bring an end to this terrible humanitarian crisis.”

The UN estimates 602,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees have crossed into Bangladesh since the Burmese military launched a violent crackdown in response to attacks by a militant group on Aug 25. The influx has placed immense strain on infrastructure in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, where hundreds of thousands live under plastic sheeting without sanitation, medical support or running water.

Mark Lowcock, the UN’S humanitarian chief, said: “Pledges are one thing. It’s really important that the pledges are translated as soon as possible into contributions.”