Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (19 - 25 September 2017)

BANGLADESH

As of 24 September, 436,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25. They are scattered either in makeshift settlements/camps (148,000), new spontaneous sites (200,000), or in host communities (88,000). Population movements within Cox’s Bazar remain highly fluid and with increasing concentration in Ukhia, where the Government of Bangladesh has allocated 2,000 acres of land for a new camp. Over the last two days, movements across the border reportedly decreased with only small numbers of people noted to be moving towards Cox’s Bazar. In some of the sites that have spontaneously emerged, there is no access to water and sanitation facilities, raising risks of an outbreak of disease. The Office of Relief and Rohingya Refugee Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) is leading on the Kutupalong Expansion Project, with a Site Management Taskforce supported by IOM, UNHCR, and other key implementing agencies. As of 23 Sep., 13,418 people had taken part in the Government Biometric registration.1 436,000 crossed into Bangladesh since August 25.

PHILIPPINES

The 4,000 families displaced as a result of recent fighting in Datu Salibo between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have started to return to their homes in Maguindanao Province, according to a report of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao – Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM – HEART). The report also informed of the food assistance provided by the social welfare department in Region XII and the provincial government of Maguindanao.
Meanwhile, a further armed encounter took place on 17 September but with no displacement reported.

MYANMAR

A series of attacks in Rakhine on 25 August by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and subsequent security operations by the Myanmar military have resulted in a massive humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh in the largest mass movement of people from Rakhine in decades. Reports continue of houses being burned and vast swathes of territory in northern Rakhine are now empty. Due to continued restrictions on movements of UN staff, the UN has not been able to independently verify these reports, establish numbers of people still internally displaced or on the move or confirm humanitarian needs in the affected areas. The Myanmar Government is working with the Red Cross Movement to provide humanitarian assistance in northern Rakhine and has reported that approximately 6,000 of the 26,700 ethnic-Rakhine and non-Muslim minorities who were internally displaced have returned to their homes. Services in pre-existing central Rakhine camps sheltering almost 120,000 IDPs have also been severely interrupted since 25 August.

INDONESIA

As of 24 September, nearly 35,000 people have been evacuated from their homes near active Mt Agung Volcano in Bali and dispersed across 238 locations in seven districts in Bali. The number is expected to increase as well as fluctuate as there are still people who have not yet left their villages or who commute between homes and evacuation sites during the day for daily chores. On 24 September, the national disaster management agency (BNPB) sent 14 tons of assistance to the island and is providing over IDR 1 billion (US$ 75,000) to Karangasem District to operationalize the Command Post there and is preparing ready-to-use budget for emergency response activities.