Myanmar junta still restricts international aid distribution: ICRC

The global humanitarian aid organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), are still facing restrictions from the military council, said the ICRC.

Access to rural areas of the country, especially in Rakhine State, remains a challenge. Moreover, providing humanitarian assistance to those affected families in the conflict zones remains difficult, asserted an ICRC statement issued on 19 October.

"Like many conflict-affected areas in Myanmar, in Rakhine, especially in rural areas, it remains a challenge to obtain the necessary humanitarian travel permits to provide assistance," it stated.

It clarified that ICRC aids will be able to reach the vulnerable people if the authorities allow humanitarian access with assistance.

It is five months now since the military junta had banned the foreign aid groups traveling to Rakhine State, which was pronounced by Rakhine state borders & security affairs minister colonel Kyaw Thura on 8 June 2023.

Since then hundreds of thousands of Rakhine people, including those living in refugee camps, are severely affected. The victims of cyclone Mocha are in need of emergency aid, said the locals.

Despite the limited access, in the first half of 2023, more than 70,000 Rakhine people received the seeds of basic crops and vegetables for growing as well as agricultural equipment and fertilizers from the ICRC.

Moreover, 276 people who were released from various prisons, were transported to their respective houses.

In addition, 1,550 medical treatments were performed and 115 mobility aids, including 84 prostheses and 2 wheelchairs, were also made available.

The ICRC provided water, clean sewage and also shelter for 79,442 people.

UN-OCHA Myanmar also said in a statement issued on 18 October that nearly two million people in Myanmar need shelters, medicines and health assistance. They were affected by the military conflict.

Nearly 1.7 million people across Myanmar were displaced from their places due to troubled ambience created after the military coup in 2021.