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Myanmar

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 25 April 2018 - Myanmar

(excerpt)

Myanmar

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us they are deeply concerned by the escalation of the conflict in Kachin State in Myanmar.

Thousands of civilians have been reportedly displaced by renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army, while many others are trapped in conflict-affected areas, unable to flee. There are grave protection concerns for these communities as a result.

A United Nations assessment team met with displaced civilians in one area, Namti, on Monday — that is earlier this week — and identified high levels of immediate need — notably food, shelter, health care, water and sanitation.

The local authorities and humanitarian partners are now moving to respond but access for the UN and international humanitarian partners to civilian populations in need continues to be extremely limited in Kachin, notably in non-Government controlled areas.

The UN calls on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Humanitarians must be able to access and provide assistance to those in need, the parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilians should be able to safely and voluntarily return to their homes as soon as the conditions allow.