Honderden vluchtelingen etnisch geweld Birma/Myanmar (en)
12/06/2012 - Hundreds of residents have fled their homes after more than 5 days of communal violence between the Muslim (Rohingyas) and ethnic Rakhine communities in Burma/Myanmar’s western Rakhine State. Dozens of deaths have been attributed to the violence. There are reports of houses being set ablaze in the main towns including Maungdaw, and the state capital, Sittwe.
In order to avoid violence and retaliation, families are fleeing out of the troubled area. The government has imposed a state of emergency and security forces have been deployed to prevent further clashes. UN and international NGOs have evacuated staff from the area. The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department, ECHO i, which has supported humanitarian aid projects in Rakhine state for more than 15 years and has ongoing programmes there of €6 million, has met with its implementing partners and is monitoring the situation from its office in Yangon.
Tensions between communities in Rakhine state have been simmering for a number of years. The area is inhabited by various religious and ethnic groups, with members of the Rohingya community denied citizenship rights by the central government. Rakhine state is also one of the least developed and poorest in Burma/Myanmar.
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