UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater attention to the Rohingya refugee crisis and addressing its root causes.
He said conditions for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of all refugees need to be created, reports UNB citing UN News.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Guterres said the UN will continue to stand in solidarity with all those affected by the crisis, and that it is committed to working with all stakeholders, including regional actors, towards a future of sustainable development, human rights and peace in Myanmar.
He called for greater urgency to the crisis by addressing the root causes of the conflict and creating the conditions for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of all refugees.
“The ultimate responsibility rests with Myanmar authorities, who have committed to implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State,” he said, adding: “Beyond solutions for the immediate humanitarian sufferings, accountability is an imperative for long-term reconciliation.”
On August 25, 2017, the Myanmar military began a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims involving mass killing, rape, and arson that forced over 740,000 to flee, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh, which was already hosting an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Rohingya refugees who had fled persecution dating back to the 1990s and after.
Tuesday marked three years since the start of the crisis, the largest and most recent forced displacement of the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority and other communities from Myanmar’s Rakhine state.