The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council should take immediate steps to address the human rights abuses and humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya population, Human Rights Watch and 87 other nongovernmental organizations said today.

“As more evidence emerges, it is clear that the atrocities committed by Myanmar state security forces amount to crimes against humanity,” the coalition of nongovernment groups said. “The United Nations and its member states need to take urgent action.”

Human Rights Watch and the other groups are urging UN delegations to immediately undertake efforts to adopt a resolution in the UN General Assembly addressing the situation. The coalition is also calling on the Security Council to seriously consider an arms embargo against the military and targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for crimes and serious abuses.

“All concerned UN member states should also consider bilateral, multilateral, and regional actions they can take to place added pressure on the Myanmar government,” the coalition said. “In particular, we call on all states to immediately suspend military assistance and cooperation with Myanmar.”

Human Rights Watch and the other organizations warned governments, UN officials, and diplomats that if they simply hold meetings and make speeches as atrocities continue in Myanmar, they bear the risk of failing to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to stop the ethnic cleansing campaign and further crimes against humanity.

“In the face of mass destruction, killings, and hundreds of thousands displaced, inaction should not be an option,” the coalition said.

Read full press release HERE.