While his expressing concern on the decaying situation in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, a senior UN official has urged all sides to intensify efforts to find a peaceful and civilian solution to the one of the worst crisis of refugees of the world. Acting Resident Co-ordinator and Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Myanmar Knut Ostby said that he was deeply concerned on the violence which caused the death of 13 Myanmar police officers in the raids by ethnic Rakhine rebels on January 4. Ostby urges all sides to ensure the protection of all civilians and uphold their responsibilities under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law.
Around 350 militants from the Arakan Army stormed four police stations in the northern Rakhine State on Friday, “killing 13 policemen and wounding nine others”, according to a statement released by the Army chief’s office.
Ostby is deeply concerned about the situation in northern and central Rakhine State” where an estimated 4,500 people have been displaced so far due to fighting between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s security forces, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Tuesday and then added that Ostby was shocked by the reports of attacks on January 4, regrets the loss of life and offers his deepest sympathies to the families of the police officers who were killed.
He also appeals to all sides to intensify efforts to find a peaceful solution to the situation and to ensure humanitarian access to all people affected by the violence, Dujarric said. He also added that the United Nations has been in close contact with the Myanmar authorities in recent weeks and has offered to support ongoing efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of those affected by the violence.
Myanmar doesn’t consider Rohingyas as an ethnic group and imposes the theory that they are Bangladeshi migrants who are living illigally in their country. The UN condemns the act and described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the right groups declared it a pure genocide. However, Myanmar Budhist majoriy rejects the charge saying that its security forces launched a counter insurgency operation on august 25 in the response to Rohingya militant attacks.
The UN estimats that, around 700,000 Rohingya Muslim minority have fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar since August 25 last year, when the army launched a military crackdown.
