Christos Stylianides's visit marks the first to the area
by a top EU official
By Kyaw Ye Lynn
YANGON, Myanmar
A top official from European Union is visiting Myanmar’s
western Rakhine state for the first time to assess the humanitarian situation
on the ground, officials said Saturday.
European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Management, Christos Stylianides, will arrive in state capital Sittwe on
Saturday evening to meet the regional government officials.
“Then he will visit the EU humanitarian projects in
Maungdaw area on Sunday,” regional government spokesperson, Tin Maung Swe, told
Anadolu Agency by phone.
According to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Myanmar), more than 70,000 Rohingya
Muslims have fled Rakhine’s Maungdaw area since the military began a clearance
operation last October following the deaths of nine police officers in attacks
on border posts.
During the operation, the UN and rights groups have
documented widespread abuses by security forces such as killings -- including
of children and babies -- gang rapes, brutal beatings, the burning of villages
and disappearances.
UNOCHA said last week that government has granted
international staff to access affected villages in Maungdaw area for the first
time in six months, but on the condition that they are accompanied by
government officials.
Christos Stylianides stressed the importance of full
access to all affected communities as the EU allocated over 12 million euro of
funding for direct humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict
in the country including the Rakhine state.
The announcement of new funding came after Stylianides
met senior government officials in Nay Pyi Taw, political capital of Myanmar,
on Friday.