Rohingya crisis continues

September 29, 2017

“We cannot be afraid to call the actions of the Burmese [Myanmar] authorities what they appear to be: a brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority.”
Rohingya Muslims, fled from ongoing military operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, walk in the water as they make their way after crossing border, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on September 29, 2017. Anadolu Agency

On Thursday U.S. envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, told the Security Council that violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar appears to be an ethnic cleansing.

“We cannot be afraid to call the actions of the Burmese [Myanmar] authorities what they appear to be: a brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority.”

Haley urged the Naypyidaw government to allow media and humanitarian access to Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya, if its claim of fighting terrorists is true.

The ongoing violence “should shame senior Burmese leaders who have sacrificed so much for an open democratic Burma,” Haley said.

The UN envoy also urged the Security Council to question arms sales to the Myanmar administration and called for a stop in those sales.

Training and providing the military with equipment has also been raised by the UK government, which announced that the trainings provided by the British army will be on hold.

Humanitarian assistance

Talking to the Anadolu Agency, Wakar Uddin, head of the Arakan (Rakhine) Rohingya Union, called for the international community to protect the Rohingya Muslims.

“Turkey is pushing for a coalition of nations to address the issue in the UN, and hopefully, at the Security Council.”

Thanking the efforts of the Turkish government, which has led the role in humanitarian assistance, Uddin said “I express my gratitude on behalf of Rohingya people to President Erdogan, and the government and people of Turkey for voicing support for Rohingya people.”

He urged for the UN to pressure Myanmar’s government to return education, health, infrastructure and citizenship rights to the Rohingya Muslims.

In regards to humanitarian assistance from Turkey, Bayram Numan Koksal, coordinator of the Cansuyu Organization, stated that they will provide tents to 20,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

He added that each tent will include a bathroom. A mosque and education and health center will also be constructed for the refugees.

Latest figures by the UN source that over half a million Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar since August 25.

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