Sr Special Correspondent :
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday reiterated his call for granting nationality to Muslims from Myanmar’s Rakhine state or at least a legal status that would allow them to lead a normal life.
He also urged the international community to help provide assistance for the nearly 380,000 people who have fled into Bangladesh amid military operation in Rakhine state of Myanmar.
“I call on the Myanmar authorities to suspend military action, end the violence, uphold the rule of law, and recognize the right of return of all those who had to leave the country,” the Secretary-General said at a press conference held in New York.
Guterres repeated his call for “an effective action plan” to address the root causes of the situation, which he said they have been left to fester for decades and has now escalated beyond Myanmar’s borders, destabilizing the region, according to the UN News Center.
Asked if he agreed that the Rohingya population was being ethnically cleansed, he replied: “When one-third of the Rohingya population has got to flee the country, can you find a better word to describe it?”
“The humanitarian situation is catastrophic,” he said, noting that at the time of his briefing to the press last week, there were 125,000 Rohingya who had fled into Bangladesh. That number has now tripled to nearly 380,000 and people are arriving hungry and malnourished and finding shelter in makeshift settlements or with host communities.
“I urge all countries to do what they can for humanitarian assistance to be provided,” Guterres said. He also called on Myanmar authorities to ensure delivery of aid by UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and others.
Myanmar’s government said on Wednesday that 176 Rohingya villages were completely empty, as residents fled the recent upsurge in violence.
“This is a dramatic tragedy,” Guterres said. “People are dying and suffering at horrible numbers and we need to stop it. That is my main concern.
The Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination and have been denied citizenship in Myanmar since 1982.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council also met on Wednesday to discuss the Myanmar situation.
The 15-member Security Council met behind closed doors at the request of Sweden and Britiain and agreed to publicly condemn the situation, report agencies.
It expressed concern about reports of excessive violence during the security operations in Rakhine state and called on Myanmar’s government to immediately stop violence against the Rohingya Muslims.
British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said that it was the first time in nine years that the Security Council was able to agree on a common stance on Myanmar.
“We were united in our concern about the situation after hearing from UN officials who briefed the council on the ‘catastrophe’ that is befalling Rakhine state and the Rohingya there,” said Rycroft.
The council called on the authorities to allow the UN and NGOs into Rakhine State to provide humanitarian aid.
