“The United States is deeply troubled by the reports of increased violence and intercommunal tension in [Burma’s] Rakhine State, including reports of towns being burned and residents, including Rohingya, being displaced,” said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a written statement. “These developments follow concerning reports of forced conscription of Rohingya, as well as the spread of disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech.”
Since 2017, the Muslim ethnic minority Rohingya have been victims of horrific violence, when the Burmese military launched a genocidal campaign against them. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled across the border to Bangladesh. In 2021, after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the regime brutally put down peaceful protests. The result has been the growth of armed resistance and accompanying communal violence throughout the country.
Once again, the Rohingya in Rakhine State are suffering, and in recent weeks, thousands have fled their homes due to the violence. The town of Buthidaung and a number of surrounding villages, home to thousands of Rohingya, were set on fire as the regime’s military forces battled the Arakan Army, a predominantly Buddhist ethnic insurgent group.
Spokesperson Miller noted that the Burmese military’s previous acts of genocide and other crimes against humanity targeting Rohingya, along with the regime’s history of stoking intercommunal tensions in Rakhine State and elsewhere, underscore the grave risk to civilians.
“We call on Burma’s military, as well as all armed actors, to protect civilian populations and allow for unhindered humanitarian access,” he said. “We encourage international partners to condemn this increased violence, take action to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable, and provide protection to those fleeing violence to prevent future atrocities.
“The United States,” Spokesperson Miller declared, “remains committed to promoting justice for victims and survivors, as well as to holding accountable those responsible for atrocities, and will impose costs on the military and other armed actors who commit abuses.”
