EU urges safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Union on Wednesday called for the investigation of crimes committed against the Rohingya and urged for their safe return to Myanmar.

In a joint statement marking five years since more than 750,000 minority Rohingya women, men, and children fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and commissioners expressed support for the Rohingya.

The statement pointed out that around 1 million Rohingya refugees are still in Bangladesh with an “uncertain fate” after they had to leave their homes because of the “violence and persecution from the Myanmar military.”

The EU commissioners pledged support for a “safe, sustainable, dignified, and voluntary return of the Rohingya refugees” and demanded “more sustainable interim solutions addressing the humanitarian, development, and peace dimensions of this crisis.”

They also called for accountability of those who committed “appalling crimes, including reported war crimes and crimes against humanity … against Rohingya and persons belonging to other minorities in Myanmar.”

“Addressing the root causes of this protracted crisis, including the systematic abuses suffered by the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya remaining in Rakhine State, must remain an international priority,” they added.

A mass exodus of Rohingya people started on Aug. 25, 2017, after Myanmar’s military launched a brutal operation against the Muslim minority in the country’s northern region.

Approximately 1.2 million Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh and live now in a precarious situation.