Aid blocks in Myanmar continue to hurt Rohingya

By Ashlee Betteridge
30 April 2014

There’s no shortage of humanitarian crises going on around the world at the moment, from Syria, to South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

One crisis that is often overlooked and underreported is the ongoing persecution of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

In an ‘In Brief’ earlier this year, we wrote about the expulsion of MSF-Holland, the main aid group providing healthcare to the half a million Rohingya refugees in Rakhine state.

Two months later, MSF has not been allowed to resume its work in Rakhine and the situation has only worsened, with more aid agencies excluded. There is no clear indication of when or if they may be able to return.

Reuters newswire has this week released special coverage into the effects of the aid blockage. Through disturbing photographs and a feature story, it shows the suffering being wrought upon the members of a minority group that not only has no citizenship rights, but now has very little access to any kind of basic health care.

Associated Press has also reported this week on the plight of Rohingya children separated from their families after fleeing on boat to Indonesia and Malaysia following the violence in Myanmar.

About the author/s

Ashlee Betteridge
Ashlee Betteridge was the Manager of the Development Policy Centre until April 2021. She was previously a Research Officer at the centre from 2013-2017. A former journalist, she holds a Master of Public Policy (Development Policy) from ANU and has development experience in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. She now has her own consultancy, Better Things Consulting, and works across several large projects with managing contractors.

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