The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold a meeting to discuss issues in Rakhine State in late August, a year after the crisis there plunged into a newer, darker chapter. An article in the Myanmar Times said that a briefing on Myanmar will take place on August 28 and will include a briefing by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who recently visited refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, which are holding an estimated 700,000 people who fled northern Rakhine State last year. The exodus was triggered by attacks on August 25, 2017, by fighters from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, leading to an army crackdown that has come with accusations of ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar denies. Last month, the UNSC discussed the crisis in Rakhine State and reportedly urged Myanmar’s government to improve efforts to create conditions that will allow refugees to return. While Myanmar insists it is ready for the repatriation process to begin, many in the international community have insisted conditions on the ground are not conducive to returns taking place, citing a lack of guarantees of safety and freedom of movement. According to the Myanmar Times report, U Myint Thu, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on the international community to see the situation in Rakhine “more objectively” and to become part of the solution. He said allegations that the country’s leadership was not responding to alleged human rights violations is “unreasonable”.
