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A Tragic Anniversary for Rohingya
This August marks the seventh anniversary of the start of a genocidal campaign against Rohingya in Burma. Since 2017, the Muslim ethnic minority Rohingya in northern Rakhine State have been victims of horrific violence – including crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide - causing more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh.
In recent years, after the military seized power from Burma’s civilian government in 2021, armed resistance in the country has grown with an accompanying uptick in communal violence that has disproportionately affected Rohingya.
In a statement marking the tragic 7-year anniversary, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that even as the atrocities suffered by Rohingya “have faded from the headlines, the international community must not forget the mass killings, torching of entire villages, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands, at the hands of the Burma military. The ongoing horrific atrocities have not stopped,” she noted. And she declared, “It is time for the Security Council to act beyond Resolution 2669 and finally put the situation in Burma at the top of the Council’s agenda.”
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield praised the Government and the people of Bangladesh for their generosity in giving shelter and refuge to nearly one million displaced Rohingya and applauded the contribution of other countries in the region for hosting Rohingya refugees.
“For our part, over the past seven years, the United States has contributed nearly $2.4 billion in humanitarian assistance,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. “In addition, we have conducted extensive documentation of the atrocities and abuses committed against Rohingya and all civilians.”
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield had a message for the perpetrators of violence in Burma: “Today and every day,” she said, “we call on Burma’s military, as well as all armed actors, to protect civilian populations and allow for unhindered humanitarian access. And we stand in solidarity with the people of Burma as they call for a return to peace, democratic governance, and the rule of law.”
In a separate statement, entitled “Remembering the Rohingya Genocide,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared, “Our support for the people of Burma in their aspirations for a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful future is unwavering, as are our calls on all parties to protect civilians from harm.”