Rohingya deserve safe return: UN chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the international community to step up efforts for a solution to the plight of Rohingya Muslims and other persecuted minorities in Myanmar, warning that the crisis continues to trample on human rights and threatens regional stability.

Speaking at a high-level UN conference in New York on Tuesday, Guterres said the situation had worsened since the 2021 military takeover in Myanmar, with minorities facing decades of exclusion, violence and abuse.

“The Rohingya have been stripped of their right to citizenship, terrorised with deadly force, confined to camps with little freedom of movement, and denied access to education and healthcare,” he said.

Over a million Rohingya have sought refuge in Bangladesh, which the UN chief lauded for its “remarkable hospitality and generosity”.

However, he warned that dire conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine state still impeded their safe, voluntary and dignified return.

In the last 18 months alone, 1,50,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.

Guterres also highlighted the challenges in Bangladesh’s refugee camps, where aid cuts have led to shortages of food and healthcare, leaving women and children especially vulnerable to violence, trafficking and child marriage.

He cautioned that food assistance could run out by the end of November unless international support increased.

Calling for “immediate action”, the UN Secretary-General laid out three priorities: ensuring protection of civilians; guaranteeing unhindered humanitarian access inside Myanmar; and reinvigorating humanitarian and development investment.

“The solution to this crisis lies ultimately in Myanmar — in ending persecution and discrimination, ensuring accountability, restoring democracy, and recognising the Rohingya as full citizens,” he stressed. “There can be no durable peace without dialogue and inclusion. The Rohingya, and all of Myanmar’s people, deserve justice, dignity, and a safe return home.”