Photos created by kalle.bergbom
August 25, 2014,
Two years after inter-communal violence first broke out in
Rakhine State more than 310,000 people are still in need of humanitarian
assistance there, says the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA).
Pierre Péron, public information and advocacy officer at
UNOCHA, said those in need included both Muslim and ethnic Rakhine residents.
The number of international humanitarian staff in Rakhine
State decreased sharply after attacks on UN and NGO facilities in March
following accusations that they favoured Muslims.
Most of the 300-plus staff from NGOs and INGOs who were
temporarily relocated following the attacks have returned to Sittwe.
But Médecins Sans Frontières-Holland, which previously had
more than 500 staff in Rakhine, has not been able to resume its activities
since they were suspended by the government in February, despite being invited
to do so last month.
The Rakhine State government announced in July that MSF and
Malteser could resume operations in Rakhine, asking them to cooperate with the
Ministry of Health in development projects, humanitarian assistance, healthcare
and education.
Welcoming the government’s invitation, Marcel Langenbach,
director of operations for MSF in Amsterdam, said, “We hope MSF can restart
treating patients as soon as possible.”
Some Rakhine community groups have stated their disapproval
of MSF’s return and it remains to be seen what the timeline and modalities for
resuming operations will be.
U Than Tun, a member of the Emergency Coordination Centre
(ECC) in Sittwe, said they had evidence of MSF partiality, adding, “We would
not oppose MSF if they only provided healthcare.”
U Hla Thein, who chairs the Rakhine State government
information sub-committee, said that discussions on the timeline and scope of
MSF’s resumption of work were ongoing. “The [Rakhine State] prime minister is
still trying to engage with the Rakhine communities,” he said.
Rainy season has also intensified health problems. The UN
has reported increased risk of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, including
malaria and dengue fever. It also reports that heavy rains and flooding in some
areas have restricted access for health teams to some isolated communities.
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