South African group sends aid to Rohingya refugees

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG

A humanitarian organization in South Africa said Monday it had sent aid to thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who were fleeing persecution in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state.

Hamza Badrudeen, spokesperson of Al-Imdaad Foundation, told Anadolu Agency that during a three-day program they will distribute 3,000 food packets, 3,000 blankets, 150,000 medicines and 150 tents.

“We are also planning to dig 40 wells and distribute 50,000 water purification tablets to the refugees,” he said, speaking on the phone from South Africa’s Estcourt town.

He said that the foundation had been working in partnership with the Bangladeshi government for the past several weeks, but its teams will travel to the refugee camps on Monday.

Without giving a figure, Badrudeen said donations came from donors in South Africa and the U.K.

Azhar Vadi, a partner at the Johannesburg-based Salaamedia radio station, told Anadolu Agency his organization managed to collect $20,000.

“We have given our collections to Al-Imdaad Foundation. This is just our first collection -- more aid will follow,” he said, speaking on the telephone from a camp in Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh.

Azhar said human suffering at the camp was catastrophic.

“People are hungry. They have very little, or no shelter. Most don’t even have shoes. There is no sanitation,’’ he added.

Last week, thousands of South Africans protested calling on the Myanmar government to stop killing of Rohingya Muslims.

Since Aug. 25, more than 400,000 Rohingya have crossed from Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a fresh security operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages. According to Bangladesh, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.