UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has issued a grave warning about the escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, raising concerns that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya minority in 2017 could be repeated.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk expressed deep alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation, particularly as hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while attempting to escape the ongoing conflict.
The violence in Rakhine State reignited after the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group seeking greater autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population, attacked Myanmar’s ruling junta forces in November, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since the 2021 military coup. The renewed clashes have placed the Rohingya Muslim minority, who number around 600,000 in the state, in an increasingly precarious position.
Turk criticized both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army for committing serious human rights violations against the Rohingya, including extrajudicial killings, abductions, forced recruitment, and indiscriminate bombardments.
He highlighted the particularly dire situation of Rohingya civilians, who are being herded into unsafe areas by the Arakan Army, with no safe passage available as border crossings into Bangladesh remain closed. This has left thousands trapped between the warring factions with no path to safety.
The situation evokes memories of the 2017 military crackdown that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, an event that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case. Despite international outcry and promises that such atrocities would never happen again, the current violence suggests that history may be tragically repeating itself.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on all parties in the conflict to cease violence and protect civilians. He also urged regional bodies, particularly ASEAN, to strengthen protection efforts and support affected communities, especially in Bangladesh, which now hosts around one million Rohingya refugees.
Both Turk and Guterres emphasized the need for accountability and justice, with Turk insisting that those responsible for the ongoing atrocities must be held to account. He called for an immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and urged the international community to take action to prevent a recurrence of the horrors witnessed in 2017.
As the conflict continues to unfold, the UN’s warnings underscore the urgent need for international intervention to prevent another human tragedy in Rakhine State. The situation remains critical, with the safety and future of the Rohingya people hanging in the balance.
