With the mass forced exodus of Rohingya civilians taking place in the silence of the Burmese authorities, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides appealed on Tuesday 5 September for full humanitarian access to be guaranteed for the victims needing help in Rakhine State. He also called for the targeted attacks against civilians to stop (see EUROPE 11849).
"Unrestricted humanitarian access, including for aid workers, is critical to reaching 350,000 vulnerable people in Rakhine State. They (the humanitarian workers) must be allowed to do their job to try to prevent the further deterioration of an already serious humanitarian situation. I call on all sides to de-escalate tensions and fully observe international human rights law, and in particular to refrain from any violence against civilians", Stylianides stated.
Saying that "many Rohingya civilians are suffering greatly and are now fleeing the violence across the border into Bangladesh", he underlined that the Rohingya "must not be turned back or deported".
Thanking Bangladesh for its hospitality and saying that "the assistance and protection of the Bangladeshi authorities regarding these new refugees is crucial until the situation in Rakhine State has stabilised and they can safely return", Stylianides gave assurances that "the European Union is committed to supporting all efforts to bring a return to aid deliveries in Rakhine State and is working tirelessly with all stakeholders to achieve this".
The Commission did not reply to a question from a journalist who expressed surprise that the role of the Burmese army was not mentioned in this statement, when the Burmese army seems to be carrying out an ethnic cleansing of this Rohingya Muslim minority.
"We are taking the situation very seriously. We are continuing our dialogue so that this humanitarian access might be granted", the Commission spokesperson simply said. A meeting took place on Monday between the Burmese authorities and the representatives of the EU delegations and those of other members on the ground, the spokesperson said.
During Stylianides' visit to Burma/Myanmar on 15 May, he announced that €9 million in direct humanitarian assistance would be granted for the people living in conflict-afflicted areas (especially Rakhine, Shan and Kachin States) and that €3 million would be granted for disaster-risk-reduction activities to strengthen the resilience of communities at risk of natural disasters (see EUROPE 11789). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)