HC Türk on Myanmar: “De-escalation, aid and accountability are the way out of this crisis”

Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,

The human rights situation in Myanmar is plumbing new depths, with civilians throughout the country suffering the cruelest toll.

Since the coup, more than 7,000 civilians have been killed by the military and some 30,000 people have been arrested on political grounds. In August alone, a reported 277 civilians were killed across the country. After resuming ground operations, the military is once again burning villages at alarming rates and abducting and forcibly recruiting civilians.

In one of many documented incidents that reveal an utter disregard for civilian lives, in March, the military attacked a market in Let Pan Ha village in Mandalay. According to witnesses, a jet fighter circled the area, diving and climbing several times, before dropping two 500-pound bombs on the crowded market, killing at least 27 civilians.

While their activities are far smaller in scale and intensity, anti-military armed groups have also killed people perceived to be affiliated with the military, used landmines, and forcibly recruited civilians.

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Military blockades have driven food prices up to record levels. The cost of an average diet rose by 30 percent compared to last year, while household incomes have plummeted. Nearly a third of the country’s population, some 15.2 million people, are facing acute food insecurity this year. That represents an increase of almost 2 million people in a year.

Some 350,000 people have been displaced in Rakhine and Chin States since November 2023, and some 150,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh seeking safety. Reported figures of 3.3 million displaced since the coup are likely an underestimation.

Excellencies,

The decades-long persecution of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Rakhine State has escalated.

Over the past 14 months, fighting in Rakhine has reached a fever pitch, as the Arakan Army and other armed groups have joined the campaign of cruelty against civilians. Eight years after the Myanmar military killed tens of thousands of Rohingya, inflicted widespread sexual violence, and triggered an exodus of 700,000 people to Bangladesh, the Arakan Army has taken control of nearly all of Rakhine State. It has killed, abducted, tortured, arbitrarily detained and forcibly recruited Rohingya, and burned homes and villages.

In one awful example on 5 and 6 August 2024, drones and artillery strikes killed hundreds of Rohingya civilians who had gathered along the Naf riverbank or were already on boats, trying to flee to Bangladesh. Survivors attributed these strikes to the Arakan Army.

As the Myanmar military has lost ground, it has increasingly used aerial attacks against civilians across Rakhine and committed grave violations of human rights including killing civilians, destroying property, arbitrarily arresting and torturing people, and forcibly recruiting them into its ranks.

Rohingya armed groups are also committing abuses against civilians, including killings, forced recruitment and displacement.

Some of the images and videos in northern Rakhine from the second half of 2024 are reminiscent of 2017.

While there are no comprehensive, verified figures during the reporting period, thousands of civilians are alleged to have been killed, with tens of thousands more fleeing violence.

Violations and abuses by both the Arakan Army and the military have gone unpunished.

Rohingya reportedly left their homes ahead of clashes, or because of targeted violence by the Arakan Army, whose fighters threatened or attacked those who refused to leave.

Rohingya have also reported growing restrictions and surveillance of their communications, including internet shutdowns and seizure of mobile phones. These have hampered our ability to document fully all violations.

Other minority communities, including ethnic Rakhine, are also suffering under air strikes and artillery barrages, resulting in untold numbers of killings and mass displacement.

Military blockades have severely restricted humanitarian access. Hunger and malnutrition are at an all-time high, with 57 percent of families unable to meet basic food needs.

Amid growing violations and violence, the military is now seeking legitimacy by organizing military-controlled elections. The people of Myanmar demand justice, peace, and democratic civilian-run institutions – as my report in June highlighted. Conditions do not exist for free and representative elections. I echo ASEAN’s view that de-escalation and humanitarian access are the way out of this crisis, not elections.

The military must implement Security Council resolution 2669, which demands an immediate end to all forms of violence, urges the release of arbitrarily detained prisoners, and calls for constructive dialogue, reconciliation, and respect for human rights. All parties need to allow humanitarian relief to civilians in need, and to lift all restrictions. Parties in Rakhine must respect in full the provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice to protect Rohingya lives.

Excellencies,

For more than four years now my Office has reported horrible violations to this Council. We have issued recommendations for action to stop the wanton violence and rampant impunity, as have other UN human rights mechanisms.

You, the international community, have all the information you need to act.

I repeat my call for the Security Council to refer the full situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court. I am encouraged by the actions taken by the International Criminal Court, including the Prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant against the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military, Min Aung Hlaing, for alleged crimes against humanity, as well as the Prosecutor’s indication that more such applications would follow.

I also welcome the imposition by several countries and one regional organization of targeted sanctions against individuals and companies in Myanmar. But much more is clearly needed.

States need urgently to stop the flow of arms into Myanmar – including jet fuel and dual-use goods – and to resume peacebuilding efforts.

Finally, I once again urge all Governments to do everything possible to protect people fleeing the conflict in Myanmar, including by search and rescue operations at sea, and to refrain from refoulements, including pushbacks. I encourage them to create safe and dignified pathways for international refugee protection and resettlement, particularly for the Rohingya. The High-Level Conference on the Rohingya at the General Assembly later this month is an opportunity for the international community to back its words of support with concrete action.

We must hear and heed the voices from Myanmar calling for peace and for democratic, civilian-run institutions.

---

Original post