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Myanmar govt blocks UN aid to northern Rakhine
Tribune Desk
Published at 02:03 PM September 04, 2017
The Guardian reports that 16 major non-governmental aid organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have also complained that the Myanmar government has restricted access to the conflict zone.
The Myanmar government has barred United Nations aid agencies from delivering vital supplies of food, water and medicine to thousands of desperate civilians in violence-torn northern Rakhine state.
According to a report published by The Guardian, the UN halted all aid distributions, after militants reportedly attacked government forces on August 25, prompting the army to respond with a counteroffensive that has killed hundreds.
“The security situation and government field-visit restrictions rendered us unable to distribute assistance there. Aid was being delivered to other parts of Rakhine state,” the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar said in a statement.
Staff from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), could not conduct any field work in northern Rakhine since last week. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it also had to suspend distributions of aid to other parts of the state, leaving a quarter of a million civilians without access to food.
The Guardian reports that 16 major non-governmental aid organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have also complained that the Myanmar government has restricted access to the conflict zone.
More than 100,000 Rohingya, who have lived in displacement camps in Rakhine since 2012, also stopped receiving assistance last week. Authorities have also denied international staff access by holding up visa approvals, The Guardian reports.
The country’s military is being accused of atrocities against the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority, causing thousands of them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Many refugees received severe injuries, including bullet wounds, while escaping the army crackdown.
“Humanitarian organisations are deeply concerned about the fate of thousands of people affected by the ongoing violence in northern Rakhine,” said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar.
Refugees who fled to Bangladesh last week have spoken of horrific stories of massacres in the villages, allegedly committed by soldiers. Thick black smoke was seen rising from small settlements near the Bangladesh border. The Myanmar government, on the other hand, has blamed the so-called rebels for burning down their own homes, and has accused them of killing Buddhists and Hindus.
The Rohingya have suffered oppression for decades. However, the recent spike in violence is being seen as a dangerous escalation by the international community, as it was likely sparked by a new Rohingya militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The military says 400 people have been killed, and have labelled the vast majority of them as terrorists.
However, a government block on access to Rakhine makes it impossible to verify official figures.
Hardline leaders in the Buddhist majority Myanmar have fuelled anti-Muslim sentiments and have accused relief workers of a pro-Rohingya bias. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has also forged an increasingly antagonistic relationship with humanitarian organisations.
Her office accused aid workers in Myanmar of helping “terrorists” last week.
Pierre Peron, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said: “There is an urgent need to ensure that displaced people and other civilians affected by the violence are protected and are given safe access to humanitarian assistance including food, water, shelter, and health services.”
An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in Myanmar. The country’s government is refusing to grant them citizenship and has been internationally condemned for its treatment of the ethnic minority.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2017/09/04/myanmar-blocks-un-aid-northern-rakhine/
Tribune Desk
Published at 02:03 PM September 04, 2017
The Guardian reports that 16 major non-governmental aid organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have also complained that the Myanmar government has restricted access to the conflict zone.
The Myanmar government has barred United Nations aid agencies from delivering vital supplies of food, water and medicine to thousands of desperate civilians in violence-torn northern Rakhine state.
According to a report published by The Guardian, the UN halted all aid distributions, after militants reportedly attacked government forces on August 25, prompting the army to respond with a counteroffensive that has killed hundreds.
“The security situation and government field-visit restrictions rendered us unable to distribute assistance there. Aid was being delivered to other parts of Rakhine state,” the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar said in a statement.
Staff from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), could not conduct any field work in northern Rakhine since last week. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it also had to suspend distributions of aid to other parts of the state, leaving a quarter of a million civilians without access to food.
The Guardian reports that 16 major non-governmental aid organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have also complained that the Myanmar government has restricted access to the conflict zone.
More than 100,000 Rohingya, who have lived in displacement camps in Rakhine since 2012, also stopped receiving assistance last week. Authorities have also denied international staff access by holding up visa approvals, The Guardian reports.
The country’s military is being accused of atrocities against the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority, causing thousands of them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Many refugees received severe injuries, including bullet wounds, while escaping the army crackdown.
“Humanitarian organisations are deeply concerned about the fate of thousands of people affected by the ongoing violence in northern Rakhine,” said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar.
Refugees who fled to Bangladesh last week have spoken of horrific stories of massacres in the villages, allegedly committed by soldiers. Thick black smoke was seen rising from small settlements near the Bangladesh border. The Myanmar government, on the other hand, has blamed the so-called rebels for burning down their own homes, and has accused them of killing Buddhists and Hindus.
The Rohingya have suffered oppression for decades. However, the recent spike in violence is being seen as a dangerous escalation by the international community, as it was likely sparked by a new Rohingya militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The military says 400 people have been killed, and have labelled the vast majority of them as terrorists.
However, a government block on access to Rakhine makes it impossible to verify official figures.
Hardline leaders in the Buddhist majority Myanmar have fuelled anti-Muslim sentiments and have accused relief workers of a pro-Rohingya bias. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has also forged an increasingly antagonistic relationship with humanitarian organisations.
Her office accused aid workers in Myanmar of helping “terrorists” last week.
Pierre Peron, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said: “There is an urgent need to ensure that displaced people and other civilians affected by the violence are protected and are given safe access to humanitarian assistance including food, water, shelter, and health services.”
An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in Myanmar. The country’s government is refusing to grant them citizenship and has been internationally condemned for its treatment of the ethnic minority.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2017/09/04/myanmar-blocks-un-aid-northern-rakhine/
