UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell, urged Bangladesh, and other states, to protect Myanmar’s minority Rohingya community on Friday, as conflicts in Myanmar continue. Rohingya refugees, who number over a million in Bangladesh and about 45,000 in the region surrounding the Naf River (located near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border), are seeking protection from the ongoing fighting in Myanmar.
According to Throssell, the ongoing conflicts have led to large scale displacement of the Rohingya population from the Burmese towns of Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Rakhine. Reports indicate that Buthidaung was torched just two days after the Arakan army, involved in a conflict with Myanmar’s ruling military junta, purportedly assumed control following the military’s withdrawal. Survivors from Buthidaung express claims of extortion and abuse by the Arakan army, as they sought refuge in Rohingya villages outside of their town.
Following reports of unprovoked shootings in villages, beheadings, and the burning of Rohingya homes by the Arakan army and the military junta, the UN Human Rights Office issued a statement expressing deep concerns about the ongoing violence perpetrated against Rohingya civilians. It was described as a “recurring nightmare of suffering” for the Rohingya community, whose demands for safety and security continued to be ignored as their properties were destroyed and looted.
The rights commissioner called for an immediate halt to the violence and for refugees to be protected irrespective of their identity. “The High Commissioner calls on Bangladesh and other States to provide effective protection to those seeking it, in line with international law, and to ensure international solidarity with Bangladesh in hosting Rohingya refugees in Myanmar… Prompt and unhindered humanitarian relief must be allowed to flow, and all parties must comply fully and unconditionally with international law—including measures already ordered by the ICJ, for the protection of Rohingya,” Throssell wrote.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority who are predominantly native to Rakhine, Myanmar. A report published in January claimed that ethnic and religious minorities in the Buddhist-majority nation were being targeted by the military. In March, a UN official raised alarming concerns for the Rohingya as the military junta’s attacks significantly impacted the Rohingya community.
Earlier this year, in January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Indonesia to protect Rohingya refugees seeking asylum within its borders, in the face of increasing insecurity and tension, which led the refugees to seek safety in alternative locations other than neighboring Bangladesh. The international human rights watchdog urged the Indonesian authorities to put an end to the practice of refusing entry to boats bearing Rohingya refugees, to allow refugees to disembark at the nearest safe port, and to avail protection and humanitarian aid to them.
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