A refugee on Nauru is fighting for her life after setting herself on fire just days after a male asylum-seeker died from the same self harm.
The 21-year-old Somali refugee suffered critical injuries when she set herself alight on the island in Micronesia, northeast of Australia, yesterday.
A young female refugee has set herself on fire at the Nauru detention centre. #9Today https://t.co/LuHPVowz3A
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Refugee advocates are blaming the Australian government, with the Refugee Action Coalition heaping responsibility on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to immediately intervene on Nauru.
However, the Nauruan government urged advocates to stop giving refugees and asylum seekers false hope and "stirring up these protests".
The local government said in a statement yesterday it was distressed that refugees were attempting "dreadful acts" to influence the Australian government's immigration policies.
The woman was being treated at the Republic of Nauru Hospital.
It was the second such incident on Nauru within a week, after a 23-year-old Iranian man, known as Omid, set himself on fire during a visit by United Nations refugee officials to the island.
He died in Brisbane Hospital on Friday.
The Refugee Action Coalition identified the female refugee injured yesterday as Hadon, and said she was one of three refugees returned to Nauru last week, after being taken from Brisbane's immigration transit accommodation.
The advocates said she was brought to Australia in November after suffering a head injury.
Senator Hanson-Young said she had been told the woman had burns to 70% of her body.
"The situation on Nauru is spiralling dangerously out of control," she said.
