BRUSSELS, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- EU Commissioner for Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva said the European community was "extremely concerned" about ongoing violence in Myanmar.
"We remain extremely concerned," she said in a statement Saturday. "Thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions."
The European Union said it was alarmed by ongoing fighting between the separatist rebels in the northern Myanmar state of Kachin and the nation's military. Communal violence in Rakhine, a western coastal state, has displaced thousands of people.
"After several disrupted harvests and prohibition of access to markets in areas affected by violence, the survival of displaced families has been put at risk," Georgieva said.
The European Commission said it allocated $4 million in humanitarian assistance to Myanmar to help address the needs of those affected by lingering conflict.
European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs visited Myanmar in mid-November. He said development is taking place at an unprecedented level but the civilian government still needs support from its allies in the European Union to move forward.
Myanmar earned international praise for holding general elections in 2010. National security issues, however, have overshadowed some of its political reforms.
