UN chief urges end to violence in Myanmar on anniversary of Rohingya Muslims’ displacement

New York: Seven years since the  forced mass displacement of Rohingya  Muslims and other communities from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to the violence and full protection of civilians across the country which is now engulfed in a brutal civil conflict.

Around one million Rohingya are sheltering in Bangladesh and over 130,000 more have sought safe haven across the region without immediate prospects for return, the UN chief said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Friday – just ahead of Sunday’s grim anniversary.

“The dire security and humanitarian situation with ongoing access challenges has exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities of the people of Myanmar, including the Rohingya, who continue to face discrimination and persecution as the armed conflict escalates in Rakhine State”, the statement said.

The Secretary-General called on all parties to the conflict – being fought between troops loyal to the ruling military junta and numerous armed groups fighting for autonomy or independence – “to end the violence and ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with applicable international human rights standards and international humanitarian law.

Thousands of civilians in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State have been forced to flee on foot as Arakan Army separatists continue to herd them into locations that offer scant safe haven, human rights chief Volker Turk also warned on Friday.

This violence has left hundreds of civilians reportedly killed as they tried to flee the fighting.

“As the border crossings to Bangladesh remain closed, members of the Rohingya community are finding themselves trapped between the military and its allies and the Arakan Army, with no path to safety,” Türk warned.

The situation has only worsened over the past four months, as tens of thousands of people, many of whom are members of the Rohingya Muslim minority, have fled a major offensive by the Arakan Army rebels, an ethnic armed group that aims to take control of townships from the Myanmar military.

The human rights chief highlighted that this August marks seven years since the military operations in Myanmar drove 700,000 across the border into Bangladesh.

“Despite the world saying ‘never again’ we are once more witnessing killings, destruction and displacement in Rakhine,” Türk said.

In one of the deadliest recent attacks along the Naf River bordering Bangladesh on 5 August, dozens were reportedly killed, including by armed drones, though it remains unclear which side was responsible.

“Parties to the armed conflict are issuing statements denying responsibility for attacks against the Rohingya and others, acting as though they are powerless to protect them. This stretches the bounds of credulity,” Turk continued, stressing obligations of all parties under international humanitarian law to protect the Rohingya against risk of further harm.

Serious human rights violations and abuses have been committed against the Rohingya both by the military and the Arakan Army, including abductions, forced recruitment, indiscriminate bombardments of towns and villages using drones and artillery, and killings — some involving beheadings.

There have also been an increasing number of Rohingya, nearly half of whom are children, seeking assistance for conflict-related injuries, including those dying of diarrhoea due to lack of access to clean water alongside grossly inadequate living conditions.

“These atrocities demand an unequivocal response – those responsible must be held accountable, and justice must be pursued relentlessly,” said Mr. Türk.

“Recurrence of the crimes and horrors of the past must be prevented as a moral duty and a legal necessity. It is the responsibility of the international community, with ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] at the forefront, to take all necessary measures to protect the Rohingya and other civilian victims of this cruel conflict,” the rights chief added.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, a prominent New York-based watchdog body, said, “Rohingya in Rakhine State are enduring abuses tragically reminiscent of the military’s atrocities in 2017. Once again, armed forces are driving thousands of Rohingya from their homes with killings and arson, leaving them nowhere safe to turn.