Rohingya hit hard by internal fighting in Myanmar: UN rights chief

ISTANBUL (AA) – The UN human rights chief has said that the Rohingya Muslim community have been hit hard by the ongoing battles between the ruling junta in Myanmar and the opposition groups.

Rakhine State has been “particularly hard hit” since fighting restarted there last November, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

“Many communities, especially the Rohingya, were already suffering from the impacts of Cyclone Mocha and the military’s months-long limitation of humanitarian access and provision of assistance,” he said as Myanmar sees third consecutive year of military rule.

The military, locally known as Tatmadaw, has faced severe resistance from ethnic groups in many regions of the Southeast Asian country.

At least three ethnic armed groups, which united under the so-called Brotherhood Alliance, have been fighting the junta regime to take control in the northern parts of Myanmar since late October.

“There have now been several reports of Rohingya deaths and injuries amid the military’s shelling of Rohingya villages,” Turk said.

According to the UN human rights office, over 554 people have died since last October.

“Overall, for 2023, the number of civilians reportedly killed by the military rose to over 1,600, an increase of some 300 from the previous year,” said the commissioner.

He said that out of 26,000 people arrested on political grounds, 19,973 remain in detention.

“Over the last three years, some 1,576 individuals have died while being held by the military,” he claimed.

Turk pointed out that communications and internet services in some 74 townships, including most of the 17 townships in Rakhine State, are experiencing partial, intermittent, or total shutdowns.

On last week’s junta attacks on Hpon Nyo Leik village in Rakhine state which left 12 Rohingya Muslims dead and 30 others injured, Turk said: “The Arakan Army allegedly positioned its troops in and around this Rohingya village anticipating the military’s attacks.”

“The military repeatedly shelled the village, destroying infrastructure,” he said, calling on parties to take constant care to spare the civilians and civilian objects.

On the situation of displaced Rohingya in neighboring Bangladesh, Turk said they were “trapped in dire humanitarian” crisis and are again risking desperate and dangerous journeys by sea, finding few ports or communities in the region willing to accept them.

– ‘Hold military accountable’ –

The UN rights chief urged the international community to “redouble efforts to hold the military accountable.”

Recalling the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice for Myanmar, he called for taking “all measures” to protect members of the Rohingya Muslim community from all acts that may amount to genocide.

“This crisis will only be resolved by insisting on accountability for the military’s leadership, the release of political prisoners and the restoration of civilian rule,” Turk said.

“Amid all of the crises around the world, it is important no one is forgotten. The people of Myanmar have been suffering for too long. Since the end of October last year, their situation has deteriorated even further as a result of the long-established tactics of the military to target them,” he said.

The Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, described by the UN as “the most persecuted minority” in the world, were targeted by a state-sponsored genocide, causing them to flee to seek asylum in 2017. Most continue to live as refugees in squalid camps in neighouring Bangladesh. Those still in Rakhine continue to suffer under the military junta.