NAYPYITAW, Myanmar, July 8 (UPI) -- Those afflicted by religious violence in Myanmar are unable to get access to medical care because of increased isolation, the Red Cross said Monday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was working to respond to the needs of the estimated 15,000 people affected by religious violence in Rakhine, a western coastal state.
"The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people across a vast area have been disrupted," ICRC's Myanmar delegate Alain Aeschlimann said in a statement. "Communities barely mix anymore."
Myanmar earned international praise for political changes that began with general elections in 2010. The United Nations called on the government to do more, however, to tackle violence pitting Muslims against Buddhists in states like Rakhine.
Aeschlimann said it was difficult for many people in the area to get medical attention because of religious rifts.
"Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and communities struggle to obtain essential services," he said. "The wounded and the sick are often unable to cross communal lines to reach clinics and hospitals."
