The situation in Myanmar calls for an urgent “international response”

UN Secretary General António Guterres calls for an urgent “international response” to the political crisis created in Myanmar by the military coup of 1^is February, in a recent report released Wednesday by the United Nations.

In this document on “the human rights situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”, the UN chief also says he fears that the grip of the military will become increasingly difficult to counter.

“It is urgent to organize a unified international and regional response to help put Myanmar back on the path of democratic reform,” he said in this document dated August 31. No explanation was given by the organization for the long delay before its publication.

Ahead of the UN Annual General Assembly, whose week of general debate ended on Monday, the United States, Russia and China reached an agreement to prevent the country from speaking in the podium. prestigious United Nations, told AFP a high-ranking diplomat.

The ambassador appointed by the junta in May has still not been approved by the UN, whose General Assembly approved in June a rare non-binding resolution condemning the coup. The text had been approved by 119 countries; 36 which China abstained from, and one, Belarus, voted against.

Until the Assembly decides on the representation of Myanmar, Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, appointed by former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has retained her country’s seat at the UN.

” Harder and harder “

The international effort “must be accompanied by the immediate release of President Win Myint, Aung San Suu Kyi and other representatives of the State”, indicates António Guterres in his report. There must also be “immediate humanitarian access and assistance, especially for vulnerable communities, including Rohingya Muslims, many of whom live in exile in Bangladesh and other countries,” he adds.

“It could become more and more difficult to prevent the military from consolidating their power”, but it “is important to support the democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar,” said the UN chief.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 1^is February, the date that ended a 10-year democratic parenthesis. The military crackdown on opponents is bloody, with more than 1,100 civilians killed and 8,400 imprisoned, according to a local NGO, the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).

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