A temporary suspension of aid deliveries from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State has been resolved, the ICRC told DMG on August 16.

Arakan State authorities gave the green light to resume ICRC humanitarian assistance activities after discussions with the committee last week.

The Arakan State Administration Council has allowed the ICRC to resume providing food supplies to IDP camps in Arakan State and will help ensure that the supplies reach the camps quickly, said U Than Tun, the Arakan State minister for natural resources.

“If their staff is tested for Covid-19, ICRC can resume their activities in a few days. They will face challenges to travel. They need documents to show at checkpoints,” U Than Tun said.

The ICRC, the main food provider for some IDPs, suspended its provisioning on August 11 after the Arakan State military council imposed additional regulations for providing assistance to IDPs.

With donations from civil society and other humanitarian groups decreasing in recent months, word of the ICRC suspension of aid deliveries was greeted with trepidation by IDPs and displacement camp managers in Arakan State, where livelihood difficulties and food shortages can be existential threats.

The ICRC monthly provides a 50-kilogram sack of rice, a 50-kilo bag of charcoal, four litres of edible oil, salt, sugar and other food supplies for a household.

Though it has been about 10 months without active conflict in Arakan State, more than 100,000 IDPs have yet to return home.

IDPs who fled their homes due to fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army in Arakan State from 2018 to 2020 have often relied on humanitarian aid provided by the ICRC, World Food Programme and the Myanmar government’s Department of Disaster Management.