Islamic nations seek global pressure on Myanmar

By AFP

DHAKA – Islamic foreign ministers on Sunday launched a campaign to mobilise international support for action against Myanmar over the Rohingya refugee crisis, officials said.

Foreign ministers and diplomats of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) set up a campaign committee during two days of talks in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen called the move a key step toward ending a crisis caused by the exodus of about 700,000 Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar into camps in Bangladesh.

He said the new committee would “mobilise and coordinate international political support for accountability for human rights violations against the Rohingya community”.

Support more independent journalism like this. Sign up to be a Frontier member.

“This is very important. This is one of the concrete steps that has been taken to alleviate the problem for our [Rohingya] brothers and sisters,” he said.

A military campaign launched in Rakhine state in August in response to attacks on police posts set off the massive influx of the Muslim minority into Bangladesh where they joined 300,000 refugees already living in squalid camps following previous violence.

The United Nations and United States have said the crackdown amounted to ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar army has said it only targeted militants.

Rohingya civilians have told of murders and rapes as they fled. They say the army burned hundreds of Rohingya villages to the ground.

Al-Othaimeen said Muslim nations had to “pressure the international community”.

“This is not religious, this is human basic rights of our brothers and sisters in the last 50 years,” he said.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor has already called for the tribunal to rule on whether it can investigate the allegations of mass rape and killings. 

Bangladesh has put huge diplomatic effort into pressuring Myanmar to take back the refugees in safety.

The two nations signed a repatriation deal last November, but nobody has since returned.

Last month a UN Security Council delegation visiting the camps called for the safe return of the Rohingya and an end to discrimination against them.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland also called for “accountability” when she toured the Rohingya camps this week.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali said the OIC meeting had urged “strong action against the Myanmar government” on the Rohingya crisis.

More stories

Latest Issue

Stories in this issue
Myanmar enters 2021 with more friends than foes
The early delivery of vaccines is one of the many boons of the country’s geopolitics, but to really take advantage, Myanmar must bury the legacy of its isolationist past.
Will the Kayin BGF go quietly?
The Kayin State Border Guard Force has come under intense pressure from the Tatmadaw over its extensive, controversial business interests and there’s concern the ultimatum could trigger fresh hostilities in one of the country’s most war-torn areas.

Support our independent journalism and get exclusive behind-the-scenes content and analysis

Stay on top of Myanmar current affairs with our Daily Briefing and Media Monitor newsletters.

Sign up for our Frontier Fridays newsletter. It’s a free weekly round-up featuring the most important events shaping Myanmar