The US wants Myanmar to take urgent action to end violence in Rakhine state, where a military offensive has created a crisis that could jeopardise its economic and political transition, a US
official said yesterday.
Bangladesh and aid organisations are struggling to help 422,000 Rohingya Muslims who have arrived in the country since August 25, when attacks by Rohingya militants triggered a Myanmar crackdown.
A senior United Nations official said an estimated $200 million (Dh734 million) would be needed to help the refugees in Bangladesh for six months. Aid workers fear a humanitarian crisis is also unfolding in Rakhine state. “We think, urgently, actions need to be taken to stop this violence and facilitate humanitarian assistance, lower the rhetoric, lower the tension and ... start doing the hard work to solve the longer-standing problems,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy told reporters.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not speaking out more forcefully against the violence. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s refugee camps are on the brink of a “public health disaster”, Doctors Without Borders has warned, saying filthy water and faeces flow through shanties now bursting with Rohinyga.
— Agencies
