ARNO is saddened to continue to report that after two years of the coup which took place on February 1, 2021, by the Myanmar military (junta) that the conditions in Burma continue to deteriorate and have not improved.
As the international community is aware, the Rohingya continue to face violence in Burma. Throughout the last two years, the remaining Rohingya villages have been attacked or burned to the ground as Rohingya outlets continue to report. Fighting between the Arakan Army, a rebel armed group, and the Junta continues off and on again, although the latest ceasefire between the two appears to be holding. Regardless, food and humanitarian aid are not reaching the populations in Arakan.
A large percentage of people in Arakan remain internally displaced. The Rohingya particularly continue to find ways to flee the persecution, some risking their lives to go on rickety boats to try to make it to a destination country that will take them. Others, unfortunately, are baited into schemes that involve human trafficking and when the perpetrators are caught, the Rohingya have also been jailed by the military council.
Given the fact that the junta’s behavior not only toward the Rohingya has worsened, ARNO notes the horrific treatment that ethnic minority groups such as the Chin are facing is extremely problematic and requires the full attention of the international community. Indiscriminate bombings on civilian structures, particularly religious buildings and the forced displacement of thousands of people are security issues that are already problematic for the entire region, yet countries bordering Burma are failing to act appropriately.
The Junta continues to make a mockery of the international community, its human rights institutions, and international law. Despite the filing of two Universal Jurisdiction cases, the Junta regardless of potential liability remains undeterred in its violent conquests. ARNO welcomes a new report by Justice for Myanmar, detailing actors who are financially supporting the junta and calls upon civil society actors to pressure these actors to stop all ties with the junta.
ARNO emphasizes that the international community must take the issue of the Rohingya return to Arakan seriously, as the conditions start deteriorating. Further, the United Nations must understand that the governance issues in Burma will only be resolved with the People of Burma and that everyone, including the Rohingya, must have a voice in order to move the country forward.