UN warns Rohingya situation worsening after 8 years

Eight years after their mass displacement from Rakhine State in Myanmar, the Rohingya community is facing worsening conditions inside the country and in exile, a UN spokesman said Friday.

"Eight years since their forced mass displacement from Rakhine State, Rohingya people in and outside of Myanmar are facing a further deterioration of their already dire circumstances," said Stephane Dujarric.

He said violence has driven more Rohingya to flee, with many seeking refuge in Bangladesh, which already hosts more than 1.1 million people from Myanmar.

He warned that reports of pushbacks, forced returns and deportations across the region raise serious concerns about possible violations of the non-refoulement principle and diminishing asylum space.

Dujarric also stressed that funding shortages are sharply reducing access to education, food aid, health care, livelihoods and protection services.

He noted that UN chief Antonio Guterres “reiterates his call for the protection of all civilians” in line with obligations under international human rights, humanitarian and refugee laws.

Dujarric noted Guterres’ visit to Cox’s Bazar earlier this year, where he witnessed the “resilience of Rohingya communities,” and underlined the urgent need for “strengthened international solidarity and increased support.”

He added that the steps must go hand in hand with a comprehensive political solution that meaningfully includes the Rohingya and addresses their displacement and the root causes of the protracted crisis.

Guterres expressed hope that the High-level Conference on Rohingya and other minorities, set for Sept. 30 in New York under a UN General Assembly mandate, will help refocus global attention on the urgent need for lasting solutions.

Dujarric added that the UN special envoy of the secretary-general on Myanmar is “engaging all stakeholders toward the cessation of violence” and working to advance “a viable Myanmar-led political process” that would enable the “voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return” of the Rohingya.