Bangladesh (MNN) — A deadly fire engulfed a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh earlier this week. The blaze killed at least 11 people. Hundreds more went missing, meaning the true death toll could be much higher. The United Nations has released 14 million dollars for relief efforts. Read more and see pictures of the destruction here and here.
Greg Kelley of World Mission says the Rohingya have been forced into very dangerous living conditions. “They’re basically a people group without citizenship. They’re mashed into this refugee camp in a place that was never intended for humans to inhabit. The whole [camp] is filled with flammable materials, and when one of these gas cylinders explodes, which is what happened, it’s just an inferno. In this case, you had over 45,000 people that were affected, essentially becoming homeless overnight.”
World Mission’s ministry
World Mission focuses on unreached people groups. They have ministered to the largely Muslim Rohingya ever since they fled Myanmar starting in 2017. Kelley says, “We have national partners on the ground who are doing ministry, who are doing aid. Because even the Muslim-dominated Bangladesh government who oversees these camps recognize, ‘Hey if you can help the Rohingya, we’re gonna be okay with that. Because these people are suffering, there’s such a great need.’”
Pray these World Mission partners would have an effective ministry among the Rohingya. Kelley says, “It’s just a great example of how humanitarian aid triggers an opening and provides access to the Gospel.”
The header image shows a view of the refugee camp before the fire. (Photo courtesy of Voice of America, Public Domain)
