Penny Mordaunt announces extra £12m in aid for Rohingya crisis as Pope prepares for visit

Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary today announced a further £12m in aid for the Rohingya crisis, as she met survivors of ethnic cleansing in Bangladesh. 

The extra funds will provide emergency food for 174,000 people, as well as safe drinking water, toilet facilities and hygiene kits. 

They will also go towards emergency shelter for more than 130,000 people, and therapy for 10,000 women suffering from the trauma of the conflict. 

“The persistent persecution of the Rohingya people must stop. It is horrifying that hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children have had their homes burnt to the ground, and parents have been forced to helplessly watch as their children die from hunger," Ms Mordaunt said on Monday. 

“This looks like ethnic cleansing. The Burmese military must end this inhumane violence and guarantee unrestricted humanitarian access so aid can reach those in need in Burma. Any return of families to their homes must be safe, voluntary and dignified."

She added; “Global funding to support the Rohingya people will only meet urgent needs for the next 100 days – we cannot turn our backs on those trapped in crisis.

“Other countries must follow our lead and do even more to help children overcome the trauma of war, reunite them with their families and give a future to the next generation.”

In her first overseas visit as international development secretary, Ms Mourdaunt said she was harrowed by stories from survivors of torture and sexual abuse. 

“The UK is absolutely determined to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and we are increasing protection for Rohingya women and girls against sexual violence and exploitation," she said. 

The international development secretary also met British experts providing female survivors with medical treatment and therapy. 

It comes as Pope Francis begins a six-day politically sensitive visit to Burma and Bangladesh on Monday, flying into Rangoon in the middle of an ongoing humanitarian crisis straddling both Southeast Asian countries.

The plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority, forced to flee en masse to Bangladesh after a brutal Burmese military crackdown that began in August, will be high on the pontiff’s agenda as he meets senior officials during the first ever papal visit to majority-Buddhist Burma.

The pope will not visit the sprawling, squalid camp in Cox’s Bazar, southern Bangladesh, that currently hosts over 620,000 recent Rohingya refugees, but he will meet with a small group from the minority during his visit to the capital, Dhaka, on Friday. 

“I can’t wait to meet you!” the Pope told both countries on his Twitter account this weekend. But his visit will be diplomatically tricky for the Argentine Jesuit known for his strong social conscience and outspoken defence of refugees and minorities.

Rohingya refugees flee to Cox's Bazar, in pictures

Human rights groups hope he will use the occasion to advocate for the oppressed Rohingyas, who have been subject to a systemic campaign of killing, rape and arson that the United Nations and the US has described as “ethnic cleansing.”

But the pope has been warned by archbishop of Rangoon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, to steer clear of the word “Rohingya” a term that would antagonise civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country’s powerful military establishment.

Catholics in Burma, who make up just 1% of the population, fear a backlash against Christians if the pontiff refers by name to the Rohingya, who the regime accuses of being illegal migrants.

While Christians have not endured the same widespread violence as persecuted Muslims, they reportedly face discrimination and are denied the opportunity to rise to the upper echelons of Burmese society.

Meanwhile, the top Catholic official in Bangladesh , Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, said he hoped the pope’s visit would help “prepare hearts and minds” to allow Rohingya refugees to return to Burma.

Bangladesh, an impoverished nation struggling under the burden of such a huge influx, signed a deal with Burma last week to send the refugees back across the border within two months. It indicated on Saturday that they would be housed in temporary shelters initially.

But the UN has said the conditions for a safe return are not yet in place.  The fresh round of UK aid, provided amid fears that funds could dry up in the next 100 days, brings the UK’s total support to £59m since August.