Georgieva Raises EU Concerns over Humanitarian Aid to Rohingya

Rohingya Muslim women and children sit in a boat after they were intercepted by the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) members in Teknaf, Bangladesh, 13 June 2012. EPA/BGNES

EU Commissioner Georgieva has declared EU's concerns over humanitarian access to Rohingya and other affected communities in a special statement.

For several years, some 40,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been receiving life-saving assistance from three international NGOs funded by the European Commission in two makeshift camps, the EC statement said Friday.

In spite of the recent violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the population of these camps has remained stable. However, the authorities in Dhaka have now requested the three international NGOs, who also assist the local Bangladeshi population, to cease their humanitarian activities, it explained.

EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieva, expressed her deep concern about this decision and the situation of the Rohingyas, and other vulnerable people affected by these events.

"I strongly appeal to the Government of Bangladesh to act responsibly and offer a helping hand to all those in need and to allow humanitarian aid organisations to do their work for the benefit of all communities," Georgieva stated.

Commissioner Georgieva further emphasized the need to create acceptable conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Rakhine State in Myanmar.

The European Commission, through its humanitarian and civil protection department ECHO has allocated EUR 10 M in 2012 benefiting both Rohingyas and other communities in need in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the statement added.

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