In the midst of escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the United Nations (UN) has released a statement expressing serious concern over the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire.
The conflict, primarily between junta forces and Arakan Army (AA) fighters, has reached a critical point, with devastating consequences for local communities.
The UN’s statement, released on May 9th, highlighted the alarming rise in intercommunal tensions and forced recruitment, worsening the already dire situation faced by civilians in the Rakhine region.
There’s a rapid escalation of gunfights specifically in the Buthidaung locality of northern Rakhine, where clashes between junta forces and AA fighters have intensified.
As the AA fighters advance towards downtown Buthidaung, military airstrikes have intensified, posing an even greater threat to civilian lives.
UN has emphasized the urgent need for all parties involved to comply under International Humanitarian Law, urging them to refrain from targeting aid workers or humanitarian organizations’ offices.
The UN reiterated its call for the protection of civilians, the cessation of hostilities, and the continuation of humanitarian access.
Furthermore, the UN urged all relevant parties to halt the dissemination of misinformation and hate speech, emphasizing the critical need to promote social cohesion and respect for human rights.
Myanmar’s ruling junta came to power in the February 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, ending a 10-year experiment with democracy and plunging the Southeast Asian nation into bloody turmoil.
The junta is struggling to crush resistance to its rule by long-established ethnic rebel groups and newer pro-democracy forces.
The conflict in Myanmar erupted after the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and suppressed widespread protests calling for a return to democracy. Thousands of young people fled to remote border areas, joining ethnic guerrilla forces in their fight for autonomy. Despite the military’s overwhelming advantage, it has struggled to quell the resistance, facing defeats in various regions.
About 740,000 fled from Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh when the military in August 2017 launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in response to attacks in Rakhine by a guerrilla group claiming to represent the Rohingya.
