ARSA Ceasefire Declared to Ease Aid Access
A Rohingya man stretches his arms out for food distributed by local volunteers, with bags of puffed rice stuffed into his shirt at Kutupalong, Bangladesh, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. With Rohingya refugees still flooding across the border from Myanmar, those packed into camps and makeshift settlements in Bangladesh are becoming desperate for scant basic resources and dwindling supplies.
COX’S BAZAAR, SUNDAY – The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group declared a month-long ceasefire starting Sunday (10/9/2017) to provide access for humanitarian aid to reach Myanmar. Because of the armed conflict between ARSA and the Myanmarese authorities since August 25, at least 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled their homes and crossed the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Some 30,000 non-Muslim people have also been affected by the crisis.
“ARSA strongly encourages all concerned humanitarian actors resume their humanitarian assistance to all victims of the humanitarian crisis irrespective of ethnic or religious background during the ceasefire period in all conflict affected areas of Arakan State,” ARSA said in a written statement posted through their official Twitter handle.