Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has visited a Rohingya camp in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar to assess the humanitarian needs of the refugees and some of the more critical challenges Bangladesh is facing as a host country.
On the first day of her five-day visit to Bangladesh, the special envoy of the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) arrived at Cox’s Bazar on a chartered flight around 10:30am on Monday.
She will stay here till Wednesday, before leaving for Dhaka. This is her first ever visit to Bangladesh.
After arriving at the 21st refugee camp at Chakmarkul camp under Whykong union around 2pm, Jolie spoke to numerous Rohingya men and women who had fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s Rakhine state facing brutal persecution since August 2017.
Rohingya leader Rashid Ullah said the special envoy of the UN refugee agency spent a long time with at least 30 women, who were victims of abuse, sexual assault and torture, and many children from the camp’s Block D in the afternoon.
“An emotionally charged Jolie had embraced the rape victims after hearing their inhumane experiences. She also urged all to be patient,” he added.
Zahir Ahmed, another Rohingya youth who lives at the camp’s Block G, said Jolie visited a Brac community centre first after entering the camp, and talked to its officials, and Rohingya leaders and representatives of other NGOs.
He said she spent three hours in the camp before leaving for her hotel at Inani, where she will stay till Wednesday.
