U.S. Offers $180 Million Assistance for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Many of those who led the military coup in Burma are the same individuals responsible for the atrocities against Rohingya.
On behalf of the United States (U.S.), Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced nearly $180 million in additional humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Rakhine State / Rohingya refugee crisis in Burma (Myanmar), Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region.
With this new funding, the total humanitarian assistance for this response reaches more than $1.5 billion since August 2017, when more than 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee ethnic cleansing and other horrific atrocities and abuses in Burma’s Rakhine State to safety in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
This total funding has included more than $1.2 billion for programs in Bangladesh and allows the humanitarian partners to provide life-saving assistance to the nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. It also provides support to more than 472,000 affected members of the local host community in Bangladesh.
According to a communique released by the U.S. Department of State on September 22, the U.S. humanitarian assistance for this crisis delivers across multiple realms, including education, food security, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, disaster response, water, sanitation, and hygiene. “We applaud humanitarian actors for a strong and well-coordinated humanitarian response, which includes preventing and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the communique added.
The United States says it recognizes the challenges and responsibilities that the response has placed on the people and Government of Bangladesh, and it underscores the continued commitment of the international community to addressing and resolving this crisis.
In the aftermath of Burma’s February 1 military coup d’état and brutal military crackdown, the U.S. says its commitment to the people of Burma, including Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as members of other ethnic and religious minority groups, remains unwavering. The U.S. will continue to support Bangladesh and other countries that have made the humanitarian gesture to receive refugees from Burma.
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Use of Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter The UN and the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have repeatedly failed to protect human rights of the citizens in different parts of the world. The casual statements and recommendations of the UN bureaucrats are being ignored by the rogue states which are supposed to follow them. In such circumstances, the world leaders must use Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter which specifies the UN Security Council’s powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and to take military and non-military action to restore international peace and security. ~ Rakesh Raman |
Many of those who led the military coup in Burma are the same individuals responsible for the atrocities against Rohingya, as well as atrocities and other human rights abuses against members of other ethnic and religious minority groups.
The military junta must immediately stop the violence, release all those unjustly detained, restore Burma’s path to democracy, and implement ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus. “We also call on the regime to allow immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need —including for the delivery of critical Covid-19 assistance,” the U.S. said.
The United States also said it commends the many countries that have supported this response and that continue to work toward a just and durable solution for Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons.
“We commend the people and Government of Bangladesh, who have responded generously to the refugees who have arrived in Bangladesh. However, more assistance is required. We urge other donors to come forward now with additional funds to sustain and increase support for the Rakhine State / Rohingya refugee crisis,” the U.S. added in its communique.
