EU allocates $47M in humanitarian aid for Rohingya

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union on Tuesday announced €39 million ($47.4 million) in humanitarian aid to address the needs of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The bloc will allocate €24.5 million ($30 million) and €11.5 million ($14 million) to humanitarian organizations working in Bangladesh and Myanmar respectively, said a European Civil Protection And Humanitarian Aid Operations statement.

The aid is meant to help Rohingya refugees with food, shelter, and sanitation, as well as supporting the education and other services in the conflict-affected communities.

“The recent military overthrow of the legitimate government in Myanmar risks worsening the already dire humanitarian crisis faced by displaced and conflict-affected populations”, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenercic said.

“In Bangladesh, the COVID-19 crisis is aggravating the already difficult conditions experienced by almost one million Rohingya refugees in camps and for host communities,” he added.

The bloc will provide further €3 million ($3.4 million) for Rohingya refugees in other neighboring states.

Myanmar has seen large protests since the military declared a state of emergency on Feb. 1. Security forces in the country have reacted with violence to the protests.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).