Myanmar's ruling junta has suspended humanitarian access to western Rakhine state, where more than a million vulnerable people are in urgent need of aid a month after a powerful cyclone devastated the region, the United Nations said.
The UN's humanitarian office said the decision to stop aid access in the already-impoverished state has paralyzed the humanitarian response to Cyclone Mocha and crippled life-saving aid distributions to storm-hit communities.
The storm flooded farmlands, killing livestock and contaminating drinking water in one of Asia's most impoverished regions. The winds collapsed bridges, destroyed boats, blocked roads, cut communication lines, and damaged schools and hospitals. Travel in Rakhine state has long been heavily restricted and aid groups are required to apply for travel authorizations a month in advance, an aid official recently told CNN.
The junta's suspension of international aid is also affecting local organizations operating the state, with some saying they fear their access will be restricted and their supplies confiscated. "One week after the cyclone, when our team members traveled to Rathedaung with supplies, they had to pass through several checkpoints. Then when they got to the town, they were followed and photographed," Khine Thurein added."I think many people are psychologically damaged. People lost their shops, their livelihoods. It will take a long time to recover," he said.
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