NPR

Bangladesh Struggles To Cope With Pressures Of Hosting 1 Million Rohingya Refugees

"We're being outnumbered by the sheer number of the refugee population," says Mohammad Abul Kalam, the head of Bangladesh's Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission in Cox's Bazar.

It's high tide in Cox's Bazar and there's a traffic jam right on the beach at Bangladesh's most prominent seaside resort. The lone road that leads south to the sprawling new camps sheltering hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees is closed for repairs. All the traffic has been diverted onto the gray sand beach, where people are taking selfies and strolling in the shallow surf.

Little green rickshaws jostle with passenger vans and pickup trucks to get over a sand dune and back onto the paved roadway to head in the direction of the camps. At high tide, some

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
A Car-free Town In The Amazon Serves Lessons For Pedaling To Net Zero Emissions
Afuá, a remote town in the Brazilian Amazon, banned motor vehicles over 20 years ago. Writer Mac Margolis and photographer Stefan Kolumban paid the town a visit to see what life is like.
NPR17 min readAmerican Government
What Did Trump Say? Explaining The Former President's Favorite Talking Points
Former President Donald Trump continues to ratchet up his rhetoric on the campaign trail, but if someone doesn't follow Trump all the time, decoding his meaning can get confusing. We're here to help.
NPR2 min read
Hiking The Azores Into Lush Mountains And Stormy North Atlantic Weather
NPR correspondent Brian Mann went trekking on Sao Miguel, one of the most remote islands in the North Atlantic. He found volcanic mountains, birdsong, solitude and lots of rain.

Related Books & Audiobooks