UN chief’s spokesman urges social cohesion in ‘very volatile context’ of Arakan State

By Admin 02 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
2 May 2024, Sittwe

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, told a press briefing on May 1 that the UN team on the ground said they were concerned by the spreading of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech in Arakan State.

The UN is concerned about intercommunal tensions in Arakan State between Arakanese and Muslim communities.

“We fully support community leaders in Rakhine (Arakan) State, especially women, and youth, who are coming together and redoubling efforts to promote social cohesion amid increasing signs of tension and the risk of communal violence re-emerging in the current very volatile context,” Dujarric said.

The Arakkha Army (AA) and residents in Arakan State say the regime has been using Muslims to create racial and religious conflicts amid intense fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in northern Arakan State.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun has denied committing any acts to incite racial and religious conflicts.

Last month, an office and pharmacy of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was torched in Buthidaung. Junta troops and armed Muslim insurgents have been committing arson attacks on the houses of non-Muslim residents in the frontier town.

The regime has either persuaded or coerced Muslims into staging protests against the AA. It has also conscripted Muslims, and sent them to the front line to fight the AA. Muslim activists should be careful with their statements as they could trigger a racial conflict, said an activist from Arakan State.

“The situation in Buthidaung and Maungdaw is quite sensitive. So, organisations or individuals who are advocating for the rights of Muslims must make sure their statements are unbiased,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muslim activists have accused the regime and the AA of committing genocide against Muslims amid the fighting in northern Arakan State, and the AA has accused the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and their allies of weaponising the term “genocide.”

“Addressing the root causes of systemic discrimination and impunity in Rakhine State will be essential in establishing a sustainable pathway out of the current crisis facing Myanmar. The failure to do so will only fuel Myanmar’s vicious cycle of violence,” Dujarric said.

He reiterated UN calls for the protection of civilians, including aid workers, in accordance with international humanitarian law, for the cessation of hostilities and humanitarian aid access.