In Pictures

In Pictures: Rakhine humanitarian crisis

Ethnic fighting in Myanmar between Buddhists and Muslims has left 115,000 people desperately in need of aid.

New government-built shelters at the Ohn Dawgyi Refugee camp near Sittwe in Myanmar(***)s Rakhine State.

14 Jan 2013

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding across Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where some 115,000 people are desperately in need of aid after being displaced during two waves of inter-communal violence in June and October 2012.

The displaced, most of them ethnic Rohingya, have sought shelter in temporary relief camps and others remain scattered across the state, living under tight security in their destroyed villages.

Conditions are harsh: the camps are overcrowded and some lack even the most basic of sanitation facilities while many of the villages are totally destroyed and running low on water. In one village, more than 32 families were living cheek-by-jowl in just two large tents.

The children have no access to education and the newborn and elderly are in a very vulnerable position due to a lack of medical facilities. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is distributing relief supplies and working with the authorities and partners to improve camp conditions, but international assistance is required.

Oli Ahmed, 52, stands near a field in the Thet Khal Pyin Refugee camp. Oli and his family were displaced from their original village during the violence in October 2012.

These children find ways to keep their spirits up at the Ohn Taw Gyi camp, near the Rakhine capital of Sittwe. Their new living quarters are in the background.

Bricklayers build a shelter for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) at the Ohn Taw Gyi site near the Rakhine capital, Sittwe.

Most of these displaced children in the Thet Kay Pyin camp have been in the camp for more than six months, and many require urgent medical treatment for a variety of ailments.

Ahmed Huessin says he previously went to school before being displaced. Now, he has no access to education. He desperately wants to continue his schooling as he feels it is the key to his future.

Residents look for water at a well in the Thet Kay Pyin IDP camp near Sittwe. Access to sufficient sources of drinking water is a major problem for the IDPs in Rakhine state.

Gulu Farris lost many treasured possessions after being displaced. Her family says she requires access to medical treatment and better sanitation facilities.

A young Rohyinga boy gets a medical check up in the health centre in the Ohn Dawgnyi Refugee camp near Sittwe.

This woman and her two children say they were forced to flee their village after their house was burned to the ground. The family complains about insufficient assistance.

The violence that swept Rakhine State in June and October 2012 left thousands of children internally displaced. Most of them no longer have access to education and some were separated from their families.

Dawayenu, 57, says people attacked her village, burning houses and looting possessions.

Conditions are harsh for displaced people; the camps are overcrowded and some lack even the most basic sanitation facilities.