United Nation’s refugee chief visit to Myanmar delayed

Myanmar has reportedly postponed a visit planned by the United Nation’s refugee chief to travel to Rakhine State, amid fresh fighting in the beleaguered region. According to an AFP article, Mr Filippo Gandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, was due to visit the area last week. However, the trip was pushed back. “Based on assessment of Myanmar authorities of the security situation in Rakhine, the visit has been postponed,” UNHCR spokesman Mr Andrej Mahecic was quoted as saying in the article. Recent weeks has seen renewed fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army. Until recently, they were a relatively obscure armed group claiming to fight for the rights of Rakhine people. On January 4, the Arakan Army staged four attacks on Border Guard Police (BGP) outposts, killing 13. In a press conference on January 7, government spokesman U Zaw Htay labelled the Arakan Army a “terrorist organisation”. Rakhine State has been in conflict for the past years, with an international outcry over the Myanmar army’s heavy-handed crackdown on the Muslim population. In a statement, the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA, denied any alleged contact with ARSA.

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