UN member states express concern over situation in Myanmar

WASHINGTON

Several UN member states including Türkiye released a joint statement Monday expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar.

"We are deeply concerned by the escalation of violence and conflict and credible reports of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law across Myanmar that are deepening the humanitarian crisis," US Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Robert Wood told reporters, reading the statement.

Wood said recent reports indicate that the Myanmar regime has taken "deliberate steps" in Rakhine State to use internally displaced persons, many of whom are Rohingya, "as human shields amid the conflict."

Since the military coup in 2021, he added, the number of people in humanitarian need has risen from 1 million to 18.6 million.

"More than 2.9 million have been newly displaced, including 66,000 people who have sought protection in neighboring countries, adding to the more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled before the coup," he said, urging the Myanmar Armed Forces and all parties concerned in Myanmar to de-escalate violence, respect international humanitarian law and human rights law, and to protect civilians.

"We reiterate calls to engage in constructive and inclusive dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Myanmar," Wood said.

In 2017, Myanmar’s military launched violent operations against the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine State, which rights groups have since called a genocide. Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya were forced into neighboring Bangladesh, where they have been living for years in overcrowded refugee camps.

Since the 2021 coup, which ousted Myanmar’s democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s military has carried out a brutal nationwide crackdown on millions of people opposed to its rule.