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| Photo: DYKT Mohigan |
There is
too little access and too little known about possible ongoing abuses in Rakhine
State.
International
humanitarian and human rights groups, including Refugees International, have
long called for an independent international investigation into abuses of the
Rohingya population and the blockage of life-saving aid in Myanmar’s Rakhine
State. The government of Myanmar’s response has been one of dismissal and
denial. But with a devastating new United Nations (UN) report and growing
international pressure, that call has gained new traction.
On February 3, 2017,
the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
released a report citing systematic rape and sexual violence, killing of babies
and young children, and destruction of homes and food sources in attacks by Myanmar
security forces against the Rohingya Muslim minority population. The report
criticizes the disproportionate response by the Myanmar military to the October
2016 attacks carried out by a group of Rohingya that left 10 border officers
dead. The report concludes that the systematic nature of the abuses by the
government security forces “very likely amount to commission of crimes against
humanity.”
CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY
The report has led
to a new round of international criticisms of the Myanmar government, including
from the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide and Pope Francis, who
released a statement of “stinging
criticism.” Such statements add to a steadily growing chorus of condemnation
that has, in recent weeks, included the government of Malaysia, the
Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and a group of Nobel laureates. Perhaps
most significantly, the report resulted in a call by UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein for an independent international investigation
and possible referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to
Hussein, Aung San Suu Kyi has met the latest UN report with an expressed
willingness to investigate the allegations. Prior to the UN report, the Myanmar
government and a government commission set up to investigate violence in
northern Rakhine State since October 2016 found no evidence of abuses or of
malnutrition due to blocked aid. This directly contradicted a steady flow of
reports of abuse collected by groups like Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch
(HRW), as well as reports by the UN showing spikes in malnutrition.
It is clear that the
existing government commission will not be sufficient to address the abuses
highlighted in the latest UN report. Whether Suu Kyi will recognize this
remains to be seen, but the expressed willingness to investigate is a welcome
change from the previous blanket denials of any abuses by security forces.
Some concrete
progress has been made on aid access. Following her recent trip to Rakhine
State, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Yanghee Lee reported that access
was slowly starting to improve. And, on February 9, a long-delayed ship
containing 2,300 tons of food and aid supplies for both Rakhine and Rohingya
people affected by the violence arrived in Yangon. Though it was not allowed to
dock in Rakhine State, plans are in the works for the Myanmar navy to ship the
food to those who need it
The fact remains
that there is too little access and too little known about possible ongoing
abuses. But the latest UN report, the international condemnation and the small
pieces of progress also provide a bit of momentum that should be seized by the
government of Myanmar and the international community. Access to aid must be
increased to address immediate dire needs and further steps must be taken
toward the longer term need for accountability. Finally, agreeing to an
independent international investigation would be an important start.
The Myanmar
government and international community should seize on this small momentum to
address the immediate needs of the affected Rohingya and Rakhine populations,
and begin the longer term need for accountability.
*This article was
first published on Refugees International blog.