Over 35,000 people have been displaced in the new wave of unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state and they are in urgent need of food and shelter, according to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Aid agencies have sent food and plastic sheets but there are still many needs to be met, Xinhua quoted UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards as saying Friday.
These displaced people reportedly have limited cooking materials and many cannot have the first meal until late in the afternoon.
Several thousands are still seeking shelter in existing camps near Sittwe, capital of Rakhine. Concerned about overcrowding in these camps, the authorities are working to find other areas to host the new influx.
The latest wave of unrest brings the total number of people displaced by inter-communal violence in Rakhine state since June to 110,000. The international community has called for an immediate return to calm between the communities.
In Rakhine, the deadly violence triggered with the killing of a Rakhine ethnic woman by three men in Kyauknimaw village in the end of May and murder of 10 Muslims by a mob in Taunggup town.
The unrest escalated June 8 as murder and arson attacks spread from Maugtaw town to affect Buthidaung town and Sittwe, forcing the government to impose curfew on six riot-hit areas - Maugtaw, Buthidaung, Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, Yanbye and Thandwe - and then a state of emergency was declared June 10.
{{/usCountry}}The unrest escalated June 8 as murder and arson attacks spread from Maugtaw town to affect Buthidaung town and Sittwe, forcing the government to impose curfew on six riot-hit areas - Maugtaw, Buthidaung, Sittwe, Kyaukpyu, Yanbye and Thandwe - and then a state of emergency was declared June 10.
{{/usCountry}}According to media reports in August, tension between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine also left hundreds of homes destroyed and at least 64,000 people displaced.