United Nations: The killing and maiming of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar continues

The United Nations said that the killing and maiming of civilians continues due to the ongoing conflict between the government army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, in the states of Arakan and Chin in western Myanmar.

 

The United Nations said that the killing and maiming of civilians continues due to the ongoing conflict between the government army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, in the states of Arakan and Chin in western Myanmar.

A statement by the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephan Dujarric stated, “The conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in Rakhine State is causing the killing and maiming of civilians, damage to infrastructure, and forcing people to leave their homes.”

In the same statement, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Ola al-Mughareen, expressed her deep concern about the continuing humanitarian impact of the clashes that took place in the town of Kyauktaw on September 3.

She explained that these clashes resulted in killing and wounding civilians, burning about 100 houses, and forcing thousands of people to flee from their areas of residence.

Al-Mughareen stressed that “international humanitarian law obligates all parties to the conflict to respect and avoid civilians during military operations,” calling for an end to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

According to the United Nations, 688,000 Arakan Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, from the beginning of the crimes against them, in August 2017 until January 27.

About one million Rohingya Muslims live in camps in Arakan, after they were deprived of the right of citizenship under a law passed by Myanmar in 1982, as the government considers them irregular immigrants from Bangladesh, while the United Nations classifies them as “the most persecuted religious minority in the world.”