Myanmar ceasefire set to end
YANGON/GENEVA:Rohingya insurgents said on Saturday they are ready to respond to any peace move by Myanmar but a onemonth ceasefire they declared to enable the delivery of aid in violence-racked Rakhine state is about to end.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) did not say what action it would take after the ceasefire ends at midnight on Monday but it was “determined to stop the tyranny and oppression” waged against the Rohingya people.
“If at any stage, the Burmese government is inclined to peace, then ARSA will welcome that inclination and reciprocate,” the group said in a statement.
Government spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.
When the ARSA announced its one-month ceasefire from September 10, a spokesman said: “We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists.”
UN FEARS ‘FURTHER EXODUS’ OF ROHINGYA
The United Nations braced on Friday for a possible “further exodus” of Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Bangladesh six weeks after the world’s fastest-developing refugee emergency began, UN humanitarian aid chief said.
Mark Lowcock, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, reiterated an appeal for access to the population in Rakhine, saying the situation was “unacceptable”.
Myanmar has blocked most access to the area, although some agencies have offices in towns there and the International Committee of the Red Cross is helping the Myanmar Red Cross to deliver aid.
Lowcock said a senior UN official was expected to visit Myanmar in the next few days.