During a recent closed-door briefing on the situation in Myanmar, members of the United Nations Security Council, excluding China and Russia, declared their condemnation of the ongoing and relentless violence in the country. Thirteen council members have once again warned the military leaders who carried out a coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in February 2021. They have urged the army to stop violence and killing innocent civilians. The council members have expressed their concern that there has been limited progress in implementing December’s Security Council resolution on Myanmar and urged the need to go one step ahead.
James Kariuki, Britain’s deputy UN ambassador, read the statement at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and said they were concerned about the ongoing situation in Myanmar and the crisis on its citizens. Officials from 12 other countries who signed the statement stood with James, endorsed his point, and showed concerns about using airstrikes.
James expressed that the relief chief Martin Griffiths has briefed the council, who visited Myanmar a week ago to observe the situation. Civil society groups working in and on Myanmar criticized his trip. Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari further updated the council on efforts to resolve the issues in the country under the Military coup.
Military Generals in Myanmar have seized the government and unlawfully imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi and the elected personnel. The army has been killing all the opponent voices in the country and, according to some experts, has created a civil war situation. The country’s military has strengthened its bond with Russia and has become an air power to tackle the mutiny.
UN Got Solid Evidence Against Myanmar’s Army
Furthermore, they have also undermined the plans to resolve the issues that the military agreed with their fellow nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) two months after controlling the power.
James Kariuki said that a massive humanitarian crisis in Myanmar has emerged that has affected more than 18 million people, and they need urgent assistance. The military coup has caused severe impacts on civil lives, which has forced around two million people to leave their homes. Furthermore, he added more than 15 million people are suffering from insufficient food supplies and seeking immediate aid. He talked about Griffiths’s visit to Myanmar and demanded complete, safe, and uninterrupted humanitarian access to the people in need.
Source: Web
The report of the UN independent investigator has also been discussed in the council meeting, which says the country’s military and its affiliates in the country have been committing severe war crimes, increasing over time. The Human Rights Council created the independent investigation mechanism in Myanmar in 2018, which has found solid evidence against the country’s military. It describes that the army has been killing innocent civilians with bombs and has detained numerous people in different military operations, targeting the citizens on a large scale and burning their homes. Furthermore, the military is performing mass executions of captured people.
Actions Required Beyond Only Table Talks
James Kariuki was asked if there would be any further actions by the UN Security Council, but he refused to pass any remarks. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States UN ambassador, expressed that there is a strong need to take action against severe military crimes beyond the resolution passed in December last year. The voice has been raised in the UN that not only table talks but solid steps should be taken to avoid humanitarian losses. China, Russia, and India did not participate in this meeting as their two-year term on the council had ended.
Myanmar’s UN-accredited ambassador urged the council to put a strong ban on the supplies of weapons, financial support, and jet fuel to the country’s army to force them to stop committing war crimes. On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Barma that would halt many companies from providing many products to the country, including jet fuel. A spokesperson to the White House States Department expressed that by putting those sanctions, they would have the ability to exert pressure on Myanmar’s military to stop heinous actions within the country. These sanctions imposed by the US are welcomed.
