Seven years after genocidal attacks, world must act to stop new atrocities against the Rohingya: Special Rapporteur

GENEVA – On the seventh anniversary of attacks by the military junta, that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, has called for an emergency convening of UN Member States to halt a new round of atrocities underway in Rakhine State. He issued the following statement:

“The best way for the world to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the onset of genocidal attacks against the Rohingya in Myanmar is by acting to halt the new round of atrocities under way in Rakhine State.

Despite warning signs in 2017, untold numbers of Rohingya men, women and children were massacred in Rakhine State and more than 700,000 were forced to literally run for their lives over the Bangladesh border.

Now, seven years later, history is repeating itself. In Rakhine State, Rohingya civilians are being systematically attacked, displaced and killed. Just like seven years ago, glaring warning signs are being ignored by the international community, as the lives of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya hang in the balance.

Myanmar’s military junta has carried out a deliberate campaign to inflame tensions between Rohingya and Rakhine communities in Rakhine State, fueling resentment and prejudice to toxically high levels.

The junta has forcibly conscripted young Rohingya men into the very army that was responsible for the 2017 genocidal attacks. It forced Rohingya to participate in staged “protests” against the Arakan Army, pictures of which circulated online and heightened tensions with the Rakhine population. Some Rohingya militant groups have cynically aligned with the junta and participated in attacks on Rakhine villages.

Rohingya villages are reportedly being burned to the ground by Arakan Army forces that continue their military campaign to expel junta forces from Rakhine State. Both Arakan Army and junta forces have been imperiling innocent Rohingya by setting up bases inside Rohingya villages, exposing them to the hell-fire of artillery and drone attacks from both sides.

The death toll continues to mount in northern Rakhine State, with tens of thousands of Rohingya displaced, cut off from humanitarian aid and forced to fend for themselves to find food, water and shelter. Growing numbers, including young children, are starving or perishing from diseases and lack of access to medical care.

Now, just as in 2017, thousands of Rohingya, with nowhere else to turn, are seeking safety and shelter in Bangladesh. Despite being shot at, shelled and attacked with drones, the number of desperate families attempting to cross the border continues to grow. Scores have perished as overcrowded boats sink to the bottom of the Naf River that separates Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The way to end this cycle of horror and violence – a cycle that is repeating itself even as governments take note of the seventh anniversary of the Rohingya genocide – is to put an end to the conditions that enabled that genocide. These include lethal doses of international ignorance and indifference and the impunity that it fostered.

World leaders have issued statements every year on the anniversary of the beginning of the 2017 genocidal attacks, condemning the violence and expressing sympathy for its victims. These statements, no matter how well intentioned, are grossly inadequate.

Given the horror that is unfolding, once again, for the Rohingya in Myanmar, I implore world leaders to replace words of commemoration with action.

It is time for an emergency convening of UN Member States to address this crisis.

The UN Security Council should immediately convene and act to address this unfolding disaster before more innocent lives are lost. If the Security Council will not act, then I call for an emergency convening of UN Member States and non-state actors that are ready to act on behalf of those who are under seige. Such a convening can begin to address the crisis by:

• Shining the spotlight of world attention on a crisis that remains in the shadows – attention that can cultivate and sustain the political will for action;
• Launching an emergency action plan that includes the strong, practical measures necessary to address the cause of the crisis and its consequences while building strong, sustained support for the implementation of the plan from Member States;
• Mobilising robust emergency humanitarian aid and the access necessary to reach those in need; and
• Supporting mechanisms to hold those responsible for grave human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, to account.

Finally, I urge the Government of Bangladesh to once again demonstrate its generosity and commitment to humanitarian action by opening its borders to Rohingya fleeing for their lives. And, I call on Member States to provide Bangladesh with the support needed to meet this profound responsibility.

The worst way to mark the anniversary of the 2017 Rohingya genocide is with empty words and hollow declarations. The Rohingya need and deserve much more. There is no time to lose.”