Myanmar camps overwhelmed after fresh unrest

Food, water and medical help are in short supply at overcrowded camps in violence-hit western Myanmar that are "stretched beyond capacity", the UN refugee agency said Tuesday. Buddhist-Muslim bloodshed in Rakhine state has caused more than 28,000 people to flee their homes this month, UNHCR said in a statement. "It is clearly urgent that law and order be restored to prevent further violence, and that access is facilitated so that aid can be provided to those in need," the agency said. The latest fighting, which erupted on October 21, has seen whole neighbourhoods razed in a spate of arson attacks that United Nations staff reported had resulted in "widespread destruction and displacement". Dozens of people have been killed in the fresh unrest. Thousands from mainly Muslim communities have streamed towards camps already struggling to cope with the 75,000 people displaced by earlier clashes in June. "With the new influx, these already overcrowded camps are being stretched beyond capacity in terms of space, shelter and basic supplies such as food and water," UNHCR said. "Food prices in the area have doubled and there are not enough doctors to treat the sick and wounded."