The Urgency of the Current Humanitarian Situation in Northern Arakan

Joint Statement by 16 Rohingya Organisations | October 21, 2016

After attacks on police posts, on 9 October, allegedly by unknown Rohingya fighters, Myanmar authorities have disproportionally militarized Northern Arakan/Rakhine state raising a false alarm and creating human tragedies aim at destroying the Rohingya population.

The siege and assault on Rohingya civilians in bordering township of Maungdaw clearly represent the Myanmar military’s intention to use the extraordinary level of mass detention, torture, summary execution, rape and other atrocities against the Rohingya people.

UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has confirmed that its food deliveries planned for more than 80,000 people have been blocked because of a military clampdown in the area and that the military has prevented any supplies from getting through. This interference with aid is clearly intended to directly cause starvation and the deaths of civilians.

Humanitarian principles must be respected by all parties. It is a dire situation that UN agencies should not compromise humanitarian principles in the face of unjust demands by the Myanmar authorities. We demand that Myanmar government lift all restrictions immediately on humanitarian aid.

We urge upon the UN, OIC, EU, USA, UK, ASEAN, Bangladesh and Myanmar’s neighbours and international community and governments to intervene in the matter to urgently provide the needy with humanitarian aid in order to alleviate suffering of the starving population on the ground.

We also request all to protect the Rohingya civilians from ongoing indiscriminate killing, torching houses, arresting and torturing.

Signatories;