Published on 12:00 AM, September 22, 2019

EU’s call on UN for Myanmar embargo is timely

Will the P5 step up?

A Rohingya refugee repairs the roof of his shelter at the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bang-ladesh, March 5, 2019. Reuters File Photo
The European parliament has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose a wide-ranging arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions against the perpetrators of the massive human rights violation against the Rohingya populace. UNSC has also been urged to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Unfortunately, as experience has shown us, the permanent members of the UN have divided opinions on taking a tough stance against the Myanmar regime, although ample evidence of gross human rights violations against Rohingyas exist. Despite the fact that UN independent investigators have repeatedly labelled the situation against this persecuted community as one of continued discrimination and facing the ever-present threat of genocide, the UNSC has not spoken in one voice. 

The EU had, earlier in the year, imposed a ban on the sale of arms to Myanmar and put on notice high-ranking officials for their role in the Rohingya crisis. This crisis has been ongoing since 2017 and more than a million Rohingyas are now living in Bangladesh in refugee camps. International media has reported recently that the remaining 600,000 Rohingyas still in Myanmar are increasingly under threat. Precisely what other proof is necessary for the world community to take action against a regime that has systematically brutalised and forced so many Rohingyas to leave their homes and the country they have resided in for generations is beyond our understanding. The atrocities against the Rohingyas will only stop if and when the UNSC imposes tough sanctions against the Myanmar government, which has actively helped perpetrate crimes against the Rohingya community. The UNSC has the power to put a stop to this crisis, the only question is, are the permanent members of the UNSC willing to step up and do what needs to be done?

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