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Human Rights Crisis Is Escalating in Burma


(FILE) An airstrike by Myanmar’s army on Kyauk Ni Maw village in Rakhine state on January 8, 2025.
(FILE) An airstrike by Myanmar’s army on Kyauk Ni Maw village in Rakhine state on January 8, 2025.

A joint statement urged the military regime and all armed actors in Burma to de-escalate violence, respect international human rights laws, protect civilians, and allow full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access.

Human Rights Crisis Is Escalating in Burma
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In a joint statement, the European Union and the governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom expressed concern over the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Burma.

There are credible reports of human rights violations and abuses committed against civilians. These include abduction and forced recruitment of children and members of ethnic and religious minorities and the Burmese military’s indiscriminate aerial bombardments that kill and injure civilians and damage civilian infrastructure. Other abuses include sexual and gender-based violence; the burning of homes; attacks on humanitarian workers and facilities; and restrictions on humanitarian access by the military regime and various armed groups. There have also been disturbing reports of dismemberment and burning of civilians.

“The intensification of the conflict in Rakhine State and the suffering experienced by all communities there, including Rohingya, is deeply concerning,” the joint statement said. “The reports of violations of international law targeting Rohingya, in addition to the military’s history of stoking intercommunal tensions in Rakhine State and elsewhere across the country, underscore the grave dangers to civilians.”

The joint statement decried the lack of safe areas for civilians to escape the conflict and attacks on civilians fleeing the violence across Burma. Humanitarian needs have increased due to the conflict and been exacerbated by the regime’s denial of humanitarian access. The ongoing conflict has resulted in the displacement of more than 3.5 million people, some of whom have fled the country. More than 15 million people now face acute food insecurity.

The joint statement urged the military regime and all armed actors in Burma to de-escalate violence, respect international human rights laws, protect civilians, and allow full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access so that life-saving aid can be provided to all people in need. The underlying discrimination and brutal treatment faced by Rohingya must be a part of a political solution to the crisis in Burma.

The joint statement called for the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2669, which calls for the immediate end to all forms of violence in Burma and urges restraint, the de-escalation of tensions, and the release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners.

It is time for inclusive dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Burma and a return to the path of democracy.

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