A UN envoy is urging Myanmar to allow the return of aid groups which were forced to flee sectarian attacks in Rakhine state.
The UN's Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar warned that the aid groups' departure could have severe consequences for displaced Muslims. The Muslims have been sheltering in camps to avoid deadly attacks by extremist Buddhists. Tomas Ojea Quintana added that water shortages could reach critical levels within a week in some camps. Some 140-thousand Rohingya Muslims are living in camps as a result of the sectarian conflict since 2012. Another 700 thousand Rohingya Muslims are in dire conditions outside the camps. T he U-N envoy noted that the persecution of Muslims In Myanmar could amount to crimes against humanity.