NEW DELHI: On the seventh anniversary of Rohingya genocide, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that his country has provided humanitarian relief and assistance worth $2.4 billion to Myanmar in the last seven years and that it hopes Myanmar returns to democracy.
“Over the last seven years, the US has contributed nearly $2.4 billion in humanitarian assistance. We also conduct extensive documentation of the atrocities and abuses committed against the Rohingyas and all civilians,” said Blinken.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses in Myanmar exacerbate difficulties faced by members of many of Burma’s ethnic and religious minority groups, and Rohingyas in particular, the statement added.
“The US stands with survivors of the Rohingya genocide and is committed to providing life-saving assistance to members of Rohingya communities and those affected by the crisis in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the region,” Blinken said.
The US has also said that it supports the aspirations of the Myanmar’s people in the return to a democratic, inclusive process that would ensure a peaceful future. He also called on all parties in Myanmar to prevent and protect civilians from being harmed.
Meanwhile, rebel ethnic groups in Myanmar have been alleging that the Rohingya refugees housed in relief camps have been forced to pick up guns by the military regime and target ethnic groups creating discord and communal tensions.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, said it is challenged in supporting the over 1.2 billion Rohingya refugees it has been hosting.
“With uncertainty at home as life has not returned to normalcy and one does not know which way the politics would lead Bangladesh, the burden of housing these refugees is being felt even more in Bangladesh at present,” said a source in Dhaka.