In a statement released last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in Myanmar.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General “calls on all parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint, prioritize protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and prevent further incitement of communal tension and violence.”
Myanmar’s Rakhine State has seen an increase in violence between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army.
Reports show that many of the attacks have repeatedly targeted the minority Muslim Rohingya community.
The Muslim Rohingya community has been denied full citizenship despite being based in Rakhine State for multiple generations.
Data from the UN refugee agency has revealed that over 200,000 people from the Muslim Rohingya community have been displaced by escalating violence.
Previously, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported cases of forced disappearances and “shooting at unarmed fleeing villagers.”
Dujarric emphasized that the ongoing persecution of the Muslim Rohingya community “underlines the need for protection of all communities.”
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