5. State of Humanitarian Challenges

It has been over four months since the junta prohibited access to some humanitarian assistance delivery in northern Rakhine except the World Food Programme, which has had access since September. The restriction order was not lifted even a week after the truce. As quoted as an official working NGO staff in Rakhine said on December 2,“I heard roads have been reopened, but travel restrictions on NGOs have not yet been officially lifted”.

Amid rising military tensions with the AA, the regime banned local and international NGOs from travelling to Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Myebon townships as of 18th July, citing security concerns. The regime imposed additional restrictions in November, barring aid agencies from travelling to Kyauktaw and Pauktaw townships as well.

Moreover, the UNOCHA statement on December 8 urges that “Humanitarian agencies hope that restrictions on humanitarian aid and the movement of civilians, which have been restricted since September, will soon be eased so that aid can be delivered.” Starting from December 20, the de facto authorities approved access to the UN and INGOs to all areas of Pauktaw township and the urban area of Kyauktaw. The transportation of medicine, medical items, and other commodities between Yangon and Sittwe have also been re-allowed. Staff movement between central and northern Rakhine has also been approved. However, access to six restricted townships (Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon, Rathedaung, Buthidaung and Maungdaw) has been reopened only for urban areas. As of 27 December, 11 organisations have secured travel authorisation (TAs) to provide humanitarian assistance in Sittwe and Pauktaw townships, while others are still waiting for approval.

Readdressing the account of IDPs in November, a total of 98,500 in Rakhine State and Paletwa township has a little decreased to 90,500 IDPs as of 19 December because some IDPs returned to their home after the fragile ceasefire in November, while more than 16,000 IDPs (resulted by recent fighting) remain displaced to Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Paletwa, Ponnagyun and Sittwe townships. In this place, some IDPs are forcibly returned home amidst the risk of mining by the junta administration. More than 400 IDPs from Abaung Thar Village in Paletwa Township were reportedly forced to return to their homes with the provision of food for one month by the junta council. On the morning of 26 December, an elder of the community said that the IDPs who were sheltering in the Cyclone Center in Paletwa town were sent back by the council with a provision of 30,000 kyats for each and sent halfway by boat. Moreover, saying that there should be no IDPs in Pauktaw Township, Rakhine State, the Military Council is forcing refugees from Sai Tok Village to return to their homes by paying 600,000 kyats per family. Despite this forced repatriation, there is no guarantee of safety and assistance to resettlement. An IDP from Tinma Village, Kyauktaw township, said that since IDPs are in crisis due to lack of regular aid, they want to resettle and work in their home village.

Taking into consideration the mere living conditions for IDPs, civilian properties such as houses were also burnt during the conflicts and shelters are urgently needed to survive in strong winter. In Hsin Inn Gyi village in Ponnagyun township, seven houses were damaged and some houses burnt, and seven houses reportedly burnt down in Wet Kyein (Mro) village in Maungdaw township. According to the local news DMG recording, at least 23 houses have been razed by artillery strikes and junta arson attacks in Rakhine since August. The internally displaced persons fleeing from the danger of heavy artillery and armed clashes are currently taking temporary shelter at monasteries and at relatives’ places.

Moreover, as the junta banned the international humanitarian agencies’ delivery of assistance, the pre-existed and recently fled IDPs are facing food shortages and nutritional deficiencies in the camps. Donation of rice by the Nippon Foundation has been re-delivered since October 18, and out of more than 55,000 bags of rice, about 39,000 bags of rice have been donated to the camps in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon and Pauktaw, Buthidaung and Maungdaw as of 24 December, said U Win Aung who is coordinating for rice donation. Access to clean water and easy access to health care has also been an important issue that needs to be solved.

Referring to the ULA statement released on December 1, the armed conflict has been temporarily halted due to the humanitarian pause adding the intervention of Mr. Sasakawa, the Japanese government's special representative for Myanmar National Reconciliation who is Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, and the AA personnel are observed helping harvest the ripped paddy fields of the residents who had fled in many villages of Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya Townships.