In recent weeks, the Government of Bangladesh accelerated the construction of more than 17 miles (28 kilometers) of barbed-wire fencing around at least 25 interconnected refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar District. According to aid-agency maps seen by Fortify Rights as well as firsthand testimony, fence construction around the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Camp in Cox’s Bazar District is at least 90-percent completed. Bangladesh has intermittently erected fencing around refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar District since September 2019 when the government first announced plans to construct watchtowers, install video surveillance, and fence-off more than 30 Rohingya refugee camps. The Bangladesh Government says the fencing is in response to security concerns and to control the movement of Rohingya in and out of the camps. However it seems the barbed-wire fencing is restricting movement and creating psychological distress for the Rohingya refugee population.
