New York: The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has urged Myanmar’s authorities to immediately end military operations that have sent more than 500,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, calling the crisis “the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency and a humanitarian and human rights nightmareâ€.
Guterres warned that the humanitarian crisis was a breeding ground for radicalization, criminals and traffickers. And he said the broader crisis “has generated multiple implications for neighbouring states and the larger region, including the risk of inter-communal strifeâ€.
He told the UN security council at its first open meeting on Myanmar since 2009 that government authorities must also allow “unfettered access†for humanitarian aid and ensure “the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return†of all those who sought refuge across the border.
The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination and persecution by the majority Buddhist population in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship despite centuries-old roots in the country.
The current crisis erupted on 25 August, when aninsurgent Rohingya group attacked police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, killing a dozen security personnel – an act that Guterres again condemned.
The attacks prompted Myanmar’s military to launch “clearance operations†against the rebels, setting off a wave of violence that has left hundreds dead, thousands of homes burned and the mass flight of Rohingya to Bangladesh.
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