UN launches $1bn appeal to care for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

The United Nations launched an appeal for nearly $1 billion to care for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh on Friday. The UN stressed, however, that efforts must remain focused on securing the safe return to Myanmar of those displaced. UN agencies asked for $951 million through the rest of the year to provide basic needs to the nearly one million Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh, AFP reports. This number includes almost 700,000 people who have crossed the border since August. According to the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, the immediate concern was mobilizing life-saving aid for refugees, especially with monsoon season approaching and tens of thousands of people living in areas prone to landslides and floods.