An unprecedented virulence for more than a decade in the region. Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Sunday, May 14 on the coasts of Bangladesh and Burma. Since then, at least 41 people have lost their lives in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Sustained wind speeds within a 75 km radius of the cyclone center are up to about 195 km/h, with gusts and gusts around 215 km/h. Villages and Rohingya camps - a Muslim minority present in Burma - have been ravaged.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall are observed as Cyclone Mocha approaches, Burma, on May 14, 2023. SCREENSHOT / REUTERS
With winds of up to 195 km/h, Mocha hit Sunday, April 14, between Sittwe, capital of Rakhine State, and Cox's Bazar in neighboring Bangladesh where is installed a maze of camps of Rohingya refugees who fled the violence of the Burmese army.
People leave their homes to take refuge in the nearest cyclone shelter as Cyclone Mocha arrives in Teknaf, Bangladesh, May 14, 2023. STRINGER / REUTERS
The Rohingya Muslim minority is facing travel restrictions within Burma, where they live in apartheid-like conditions, according to human rights groups.
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Despite settling in the country for generations, most Rohingya do not have access to citizenship, health or education in the Buddhist-majority country that the military has ruled since the February 1, 2021 coup.
A woman with an umbrella tries to clear debris in Site Pyone Yay refugee camp, Rakhine State, Myanmar, May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha arrives. SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP
Communications were slowly recovering on Tuesday (May 16th) in Sittwe, home to about 150,000 people, AFP journalists found, as roads were cleared and the internet restored.
Power pylons are damaged in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar, on May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha arrives. SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP
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I was not in good health before the cyclone, we delayed decamping, "says a victim to AFP. "We were about to leave, suddenly the waves came up and swept us away," he recalls. "I lost my wife, four daughters, three sons and a granddaughter."
A Rohingya woman washes clothes in front of destroyed homes in Basara refugee camp in Sittwe, Myanmar, May 16, 2023. SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP
According to Futura Sciences, Mocha is the 4th cyclone of the year to reach the maximum category (the 5th), after Isla (Australia), Freddy (Madagascar) and Kevin (Vanuatu).
A girl draws water from a pump in Basara refugee camp in Sittwe, Myanmar, May 16, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha arrives. SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP
According to the UN, six million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance on 14 May in Rakhine, Chin, Magway and Sagaing states, "where the effects of the cyclone are expected to be felt".
A Rohingya woman stands in her damaged home in Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha made landfall. SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP
Already in 2008, Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy Delta in Burma, killing at least 138,000 people. The government at the time faced international criticism for its handling of the natural disaster, accusing it of blocking emergency aid and denying access to workers and humanitarian supplies.
