New York, NY (BBN)– The United Nations top envoy for Burma has reiterated his commitment to assist the country in its national reconciliation and reform efforts, in the wake of the deadly violence which took place in the state of Rakhine last month.
“The United Nations is committed to assisting Myanmar and its people in their reform and national reconciliation efforts, including overcoming imminent challenges,” Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Burma, officially known as Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, said in a statement on Thursday. “In this spirit, the United Nations has been working to help assist many of the victims of the recent violence in Rakhine state, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.”
In June, serious disturbances in Rakhine state, located in the country’s west, led to the Government declaring a state of emergency there. According to reports, the violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims left at least a dozen civilians dead and hundreds of homes destroyed, while internally displacing some 30,000 people.
The UN also temporarily relocated, on a voluntary basis, some of its staff based in the towns of Maungdaw and Buthidaung, as well as Rakhine state’s capital, Sittwe.
Mr. Nambiar visited a few days after the violence, leading a humanitarian team to some of the localities that were most affected and later calling for an investigation into the events that took place.
BBN/SSR/AD-27July12-3:30 pm (BST)
