A/HRC/34/67 63. Myanmar remains one of the most mined countries in the world, with 159 casualties reported in 2015,11 and numerous others in 2016. The Special Rapporteur is particularly concerned by the risk that landmines and other explosive remnants of war pose to the increasing numbers of civilians being displaced, as well as to future resettlement efforts. She again calls on all parties to immediately cease using landmines and for the Government to ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. She calls for removal, mapping, clearance and fencing activities to be prioritized and expanded. E. Attacks against Myanmar Border Guard Police facilities on 9 October 2016 and the aftermath 64. On 9 October 2016, three Myanmar Border Guard Police facilities in Rakhine State (in Kyee Kan Pyin and Nga Khu Ya in Maungdaw township and Koe Tan Kauk in Rathedaung township) were reportedly attacked by groups of armed men in a coordinated manner. In addition to the nine members of the Myanmar Police Force who were reportedly killed, the armed attackers appeared to have seized arms, weaponry and ammunitions. The security forces (the Tatmadaw, the Myanmar Police Force and the Border Guard Police) immediately responded with a counter-operation to pursue the attackers and recover the stolen items. The Ministry of Defence issued a statement on 14 October announcing that the initial operation would last three months and that that period was extendable. 65. During the subsequent counter-operations, further clashes reportedly occurred, the most serious of which took place on 12 and 13 November. The Government reports that there were more than 20 attacks and ambushes during the “clearance operations” with seven soldiers, including one column commander, and one police officer killed and many others injured. The Government of Bangladesh reportedly arrested and returned to the Government of Myanmar two suspected attackers who had crossed the border. Early information regarding the attackers’ origins, motives and other details were apparently obtained from the interrogation of those two as well as two other suspects arrested by the authorities of Myanmar. 1. Lack of access to information and the affected population 66. In the immediate aftermath, the Government extended an existing curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Maungdaw and two other townships. In respect of the “clearance operations”, Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships were officially declared affected and closed off for security reasons. All humanitarian operations and activities normally undertaken in those areas were suspended. Teachers, health workers and other service providers left those areas, with reports that military helicopters were used in some cases to evacuate Rakhine civil servants from remote areas. 67. As at 21 October 2016, it was estimated that about 3,000 Rakhine community members had been displaced. Some were reportedly transported by boat out of Maungdaw and many were provided with temporary shelter in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Sittwe towns. Their needs were attended to by the State Government, local non-governmental organizations and religious organizations, with offers of international assistance from the United Nations and other international organizations mostly declined. In contrast, the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Rohingya community members displaced as of 21 October had apparently not received any government assistance and had been given shelter by host communities in villages affected by security operations. Humanitarian organizations, despite being ready to undertake assessment and respond to the population in need, were not permitted to do so. Due to the lack of humanitarian access, it was extremely difficult for the actual number of those displaced and their needs to be to accurately ascertained. 11 12 See International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition, Cluster Munition Monitor 2016 (August 2016). Available from www.the-monitor.org/media/2394895/ClusterMunition-Monitor-2016-Web.pdf.