ReliefWeb

Key messages

• The Rohingya crisis is a human rights crisis with serious humanitarian consequences. In Myanmar/Burma, the Rohingya have very limited access to basic services and viable livelihood opportunities due to strict movement restrictions. The legal status and the discrimination that these stateless people face must be addressed.

• The Government must prioritise inter-communal dialogue and conflict resolution in Rakhine State, where tensions between ethnic communities are widespread and continued community segregation is institutionalised.

• While international organisations help meet emergency humanitarian needs, it is crucial that both the Union (national) and Rakhine State (regional) governments address the basic needs of the affected population while promoting durable solutions, in line with international standards, and stimulate State-wide development for all.

• Safe and unhindered access to populations in need should be granted to humanitarian aid organisations, not only in Myanmar/Burma, but in all countries of Asia where the Rohingya people are seeking asylum and protection.

• The crisis has a wider regional dimension, with record numbers of Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring countries on precarious boat journeys. According to the UNHCR some 94 000 people (many of which Rohingya) departed irregularly from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border over the course of 2014 and 2015.