In response to displacement following recent armed clashes, around 500 people who took refuge in Buthidaung and Kyauktaw Townships are receiving urgent assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the organisation said in a statement on 4 May.
Armed clashes took place in mid-April in the mountain ranges of Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun Townships, which prompted over 1,000 people to flee to safer areas in Rathedaung, Buthidaung and Kyauktaw Townships. For the time being, displaced people are mainly staying in schools, while some of them are housed with host families or relatives. “People left their homes with the bare minimum. Living conditions are particularly difficult and the schools crowded. People are sleeping directly on the floor or on sheets of tarpaulin,” said Wai Cheong Yip, head of the ICRC in Maungdaw.
To complement the initial response by the host community, local organizations and authorities, the ICRC is distributing non-food items such as cooking pots and pans, utensils and other kitchen items, blankets, mosquito nets, and safe delivery kits to approximately 500 people in hard-to-reach areas of Si Taung, Buthidaung Township, and Tha Lu Chaung and PyinNyarWa in Kyauktaw Township. According to Alienor Bernhard, head of the ICRC in Rakhine: “Water could soon become a concern if the situation persists as it is putting pressure on the host communities who already face a limited availability”. The ICRC will distribute some water by the end of the week.
The ICRC has been present in Rakhine State since 2012 and has offices in Sittwe, Mrauk-U and, this year, has also established a presence in Maungdaw.
