UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Myanmar government to end military operations against Rohingya rebels in Rakhine state during the first public meeting on the country held by the UN Security Council in more than eight years.
Conflict in Rakhine broke out on August 25, when Rohingya Muslim militants launched attacks on police posts in the state, triggering state-run military operations.
The UN estimated that about 480,000 Rohingya people had fled into Bangladesh due to violence. Meanwhile, nearly 800,000 people are taking shelter along the border.
At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Guterres told the council that the situation had “spiralled into the world’s fastest-developing refugee emergency, a humanitarian and human rights nightmare” and referred to the government’s security operations as “ethnic cleansing”.
Guterres warned that the failure to address this violence could result in a spillover into central Rakhine, where an additional 250,000 Muslims could face displacement.
However, Myanmar National Security Advisor U Thaung Tun denied the accusation, claiming that the Myanmar government would do anything to stop the violence.
He conveyed the Myanmar government’s invitation to the UN Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General to visit the country.
The official said diplomats in Yangon accompanied by media will make a field trip to Rakhine state on October 2 to witness the real situation.-VNA
VNA
