Myanmar’s Elections Risk Escalating Violence

(MENAFN) On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, issued a stark warning that elections conducted under the authority of Myanmar’s military regime will likely intensify the country’s ongoing turmoil.

He emphasized that the situation for the Rohingya and other minority groups has deteriorated to its lowest point in decades.

“Today, life in Myanmar, especially in Rakhine State, may be the worst it has ever been for the Rohingya and other minorities, marking another grim chapter in a long history of persecution,” Türk stated during a High-Level Conference addressing the condition of Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities.

Türk underscored the urgency of global attention and intervention, urging the international gathering to “send a clear signal that this injustice is at the top of the global political agenda” and to serve as “a turning point for the Rohingya, for the international community to take action and devise a lasting solution to their plight.”

He revealed that armed conflict in Rakhine has escalated significantly since November 2023.

During this period, Myanmar’s military has conducted “aerial attacks against civilians across Rakhine” and perpetrated “grave violations of human rights and atrocity crimes, including deliberately killing civilians, destroying civilian property, arbitrarily detaining and torturing people, and forcibly conscripting them into its ranks.”

Türk likened recent footage from northern Rakhine, captured during the latter half of 2024, to the horrifying scenes from 2017, which were marked by brutal military crackdowns.

He also highlighted alarming reports of harsh movement restrictions, communication blackouts, and widespread displacement.

As per Türk’s assessment, “all these conditions have displaced over 3.5 million people within the country and pushed an additional 150,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh since January 2024,” underlining the scale of the humanitarian crisis.

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