Myanmar. UN threatens to withdraw aid for its "apartheid policy" against Rohingya | News from the world

The United Nations in Myanmar warned that they would withdraw their support to the Rakhine State in order to avoid complicity in an "apartheid policy" of the government for Rohingya Muslims.

Knut Ostby, UN Resident Coordinator, addressed a letter to the Government of Myanmar. She relayed the decision of the UN and its humanitarian partners to suspend support "beyond life support" in the government's "Closed" IDP camps, unless fundamentals do not occur.

United Nations agencies have been working continuously in camps of Muslim communities displaced by violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar seven years ago.

The letter dated 6 June stated that United Nations badistance could now only be provided if it was "linked to tangible progress on the fundamental issue of freedom of movement". Currently, Ostby said, the Myanmar government's policy "risks reinforcing segregation".

In 2017, the Myanmar government promised to close IDP camps, where 128,000 Rohingya and Kaman Muslims were forced to live in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. Their freedom of movement was severely restricted after the destruction of their homes by violence in 2012.

The government agreed to follow the recommendations of a commission chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who called for displaced people to be relocated on a voluntary and consultative basis, as far as possible. near their villages of origin and that they have access to livelihoods.

However, internal UN reports seen by the Guardian and reports from humanitarian agencies in the field have shown the reality of "closures", namely that the living conditions of the resettled Rohingya remain disastrous and practically unchanged, with their fundamental rights, in particular freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, almost entirely denied.

The letter to Dr. My My Aye, the Minister of Social Affairs, Social Welfare and Resettlement of Myanmar, indicated that those in former "closed" or newly built camps still suffered from the same indignities, without access to "Basic services". or "livelihood opportunities". Even the location of the camps remained virtually unchanged.

Explaining the decision, a senior UN official in Myanmar, who requested anonymity, said: "The government's plan to build permanent housing on or near the camps makes it very clear that apartheid separation will be permanent and will pbad thereafter. a red line for continued support to the camps. "

The Rohingya have long been one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in Myanmar. The 2012 violence, which resulted in the destruction of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya homes, was followed in October 2016 and August 2017 by security operations that drove around 800,000 people to the border with Bangladesh. It is estimated that there remains about half a million people in Myanmar.

This is the first known UN attempt to adopt a tougher camp closure policy after months of warnings in a series of damning internal badessments of government actions and the risk of complicity in abuses if international agencies continued to provide badistance.

A UN document written in September 2018 noted that "the only scenario that presents itself to us is the implementation of an apartheid policy with the permanent segregation of all Muslims, of which the vast majority are stateless Rohingya in the center of Rakhine ".

"The current strategy of the government would formalize and strengthen a system of segregation that perpetuates human rights violations in the years to come," adds the text.

Laura Haigh, Amnesty International's Myanmar researcher, said, "Rakhine has been a state that has been practicing apartheid for years."

"The international community remains paralyzed," she said. "The status quo can not continue and, unless we see tangible progress in restoring Rohingya rights, those providing support or badistance to Rakhine – aid agencies, donor states, and others – may be complicit in the forced segregation of the state and crimes against humanity. "

The Guardian understands that the UN has been seeking for months to align government policy on closing camps on international standards. It is believed that the Myanmar government at times refused to meet with Ostby to discuss the closure of camps and that his firm stance on some human rights issues behind closed doors has contributed to the government's resistance to the renewal of his contract as United Nations Resident Coordinator.

As a result, Ostby will retire in the coming months. The Guardian understands that the new United Nations Resident Coordinator in Myanmar will be Ola Almgren, currently Resident Coordinator of the Philippines.

Soe Aung, Deputy Minister of Social Protection, Social Affairs and Resettlement, said the government had not considered the letter of Ostby as a warning for the withdrawal of support from the government. UN and that the correspondence had instead shown "the willingness and availability of UN agencies and its humanitarian partners" to support the Government of Myanmar in implementing reintegration in closed camps. "

"The UN agencies in Myanmar and our ministry are communicating very closely and we are openly and frequently discussing collaboration on humanitarian badistance, peace, stability and development," said Aung.

When the Guardian contacted the Guardian for comment, a UN spokesman confirmed that he had "sent a letter to the government on behalf of the country's humanitarian team" on June 7 2019, but declined to comment on its content.

"We wish to reiterate our commitment to implement durable solutions for displaced people in the Rakhine center in cooperation with the government and in accordance with international principles," they added.