The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, renewed his call for the Myanmar army to be held accountable, and said in a statement last Thursday, “More efforts must be made to hold the army accountable for the repeated campaigns of persecution against the Rohingya, and for pushing the country into its current crisis in terms of human rights and humanitarian crisis.” .
The UN official called on all countries to fully support the current international accountability efforts “in the face of the impunity enjoyed by the Myanmar army for past and present crimes against the Rohingya as well as other groups.”
Türk urged the international community to continue supporting Rohingya refugees and host communities such as Bangladesh. These demands coincided with thousands of Rohingya Muslims commemorating the “massacre” they were subjected to on these days 6 years ago in Myanmar at the hands of the army, through vigils organized by them in 12 of the 33 displacement camps in the Cox’s Bazar area on the border. with Bangladesh. The Rohingya affirmed their demand for citizenship rights and a safe return to their villages, and not to closed displacement camps, as is the offer offered by Myanmar without coordination with the United Nations and international organizations, according to Al-Jazeera Mubasher.
About 30,000 Rohingya participated in the protests, calling on the international community to raise the level of humanitarian aid, which was reduced this year, as the food rations given to Rohingya families were reduced by 30% following the Russian war on Ukraine. The young refugees, who are the majority, also demanded that they be provided with job and educational opportunities in the displacement camps to improve their standard of living in their besieged environment.
For his part, Tom Andrew, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, appealed to world leaders to take the necessary measures to hold accountable the designers and perpetrators of violence.
“The responsibility for the immense suffering of the Rohingya begins at the top,” he said in a statement. Min Aung Hlaing, who led the campaign of genocide, is now at the head of an illegal and illegitimate military junta that attacks the civilian population across Myanmar. He must be brought to justice and held accountable for his crimes.”
Andrew criticized what he described as the failure of the international community to assume its responsibilities towards the Rohingya, noting that after six years, the Security Council has not referred the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, despite the overwhelming evidence of brutal crimes.
