China backs UN Security Council’s first Myanmar statement in nine years as ethnic bloodshed forces 380,000 Rohingya to flee
UN Security Council condemns violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state that has forced thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh
The UN Security Council broke its weeks-long silence on the crisis in Myanmar and called for an end to the violence as UN chief Antonio Guterres said the military campaign amounted to ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
Following a closed-door meeting Wednesday, the 15-member council including China, a supporter of Myanmar’s former ruling junta, expressed concern about excessive force during security operations in Rakhine state and called for “immediate steps” to end the violence.
It was the first time the council agreed on a united response to the crisis sparked by a military crackdown that followed attacks by Rohingya militants late last month.
Some 380,000 Rohingya have fled across the border into neighbouring Bangladesh and there have been growing appeals for Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out in defence of the Rohingya.
Suu Kyi’s spokesman earlier said the Nobel laureate and long-time human rights champion would deliver an address next week on peace and reconciliation in Myanmar.
At a press conference in New York, Guterres called for a halt to the military campaign in Rakhine and said the mass displacement of Rohingya amounted to ethnic cleansing.