UN Representative: Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Continues in Myanmar

On Tuesday, March 6, the UN representative reported the ongoing "ethnic cleansing" of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar and strongly criticized the Myanmar government. According to Andrew Gilmour, the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Human Rights, although the influx of Rohingya migrants to neighboring Bangladesh has decreased, hundreds of members of this minority continue to cross the border every week. Since last summer, when violence against the Rohingya began at the hands of the Myanmar government, approximately 700,000 people have fled to Bangladesh. Gilmour stated, "The ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar continues. I don't think any other conclusion can be drawn from what I have witnessed." The United Nations and the United States had previously described the Myanmar military's operations against the Rohingya Muslims as "ethnic cleansing." The U.S. noted in early December that it would hold accountable those responsible for these actions. In February, Amnesty International reported that the ethnic cleansing of this minority continues following widespread killings and abuses that began last summer, warning that this catastrophic trend will persist without effective international action. According to the UN representative, the "nature of violence" against Rohingya Muslims has changed. Gilmour indicated that the situation has shifted from "bloodshed and mass rape last year" to a "campaign of lesser terror and forced starvation." He described the aim of this "campaign" as driving the remaining Rohingya from their homes "into Bangladesh." In contrast, the Myanmar military and Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's leader, who is herself Buddhist, provide a different narrative of the situation. Last month, the Myanmar military only confirmed the death of ten Muslims whose bodies were discovered weeks earlier in a mass grave in Rakhine State, blaming local "Buddhist villagers" and claiming it would take necessary actions against them. According to the UN representative, the Myanmar government claims to the world that it is ready for the return of Rohingya migrants, while on the other hand, "Myanmar's military continues to drive them into Bangladesh." This UN official expressed complete despair about the prospects of Rohingya returning to their homeland and homes in the near future. According to AFP, the Myanmar military has closed most of northern Rakhine State to media and diplomats. The government's justification for this action and the crackdown in Rakhine State is the eradication of Rohingya militants who attacked several border police posts last summer and killed several individuals. According to estimates from Doctors Without Borders, at least 6,700 members of the Rohingya minority were killed in the first month of the crackdown in Rakhine.