'Historic exodus' from Myanmar: US gives $32M for Rohingya
Source: Associated Press
By JOSH LEDERMAN
16 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP) — The United States will contribute nearly $32 million in humanitarian aid to help Rohingya Muslim refugees, the State Department said Wednesday, in the Trump administration’s first major response to the mass exodus from Myanmar.
The new money for food, medical care, water, sanitation and shelter comes as the U.S. joins a growing chorus of international condemnation over the minority group’s plight. In less than a month, some 421,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries, as the United Nations and others raise allegations of ethnic cleansing.
The Trump administration announced the new funds as world leaders were converging in New York for annual United Nations General Assembly meetings. Vice President Mike Pence lamented the “terrible savagery” of Myanmar’s security forces as he addressed a U.N. Security Council session Wednesday focused on peacekeeping. “We are witnessing a historic exodus,” Pence said.
The crisis has threatened to jeopardize Myanmar’s U.S.-aided shift toward democracy after five decades of harsh military rule. Former President Barack Obama helped shepherd that transition in what is considered one of his key foreign policy achievements. President Donald Trump has been less attentive to the country, also known as Burma.
Read more: https://apnews.com/6aabfef72cf54730a130c84c345ad32d/'Historic-exodus'-from-Myanmar:-US-gives-$32M-for-Rohingya
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