Bangladesh: Turkish agency distributes aid to Rohingya

ANKARA

Turkey's state-run aid agency sent relief to 1,000 Rohingya families living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, the organization announced on Monday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) said in a statement that the aid was provided as part of a campaign initiated for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Resident families of Camp 16 in Cox's Bazar were provided with food packages, including essential foods, said the statement.

Throughout Ramadan, the agency plans to aid a total of 5,000 families in the camp. An estimated over 20,000 refugees grappling with difficult conditions in the Camp 16 area are benefiting from the campaign.

During the distribution of the packages, Rohingya refugees said TIKA had never abandoned them since the oppressed Muslim minority fled to Bangladesh from the neighboring Myanmar.

They thanked the Turkish nation and the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Since the Rohingya crisis began in 2017, TIKA has provided many forms of relief for the residents of Camp 16, including by distributing hot meals, building a playground and education center for children, as well as holding vocational courses for young people.

Some one million Rohingya have taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

*Writing by Sena Guler