EU urges safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union on Wednesday called for the investigation of crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya and urged for their safe return to Myanmar.

In a joint statement marking five years since more than 750,000 minority Rohingya women, men, and children fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and other commissioners expressed support for Rohingya.

The statement pointed out that around 1 million Rohingya refugees are still in Bangladesh with an “uncertain fate” after they had to leave their homes because of the “violence and persecution from the Myanmar military.”

The EU commissioners pledged support for a “safe, sustainable, dignified, and voluntary return of the Rohingya refugees” and demanded “more sustainable interim solutions addressing the humanitarian, development, and peace dimensions of this crisis.”

They also called for investigation and accountability for those who committed “appalling crimes, including reported war crimes and crimes against humanity … against Rohingya and persons belonging to other minorities in Myanmar.”

“Addressing the root causes of this protracted crisis, including the systematic abuses suffered by the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya remaining in Rakhine State, must remain an international priority,” they added.

A mass exodus of Rohingya people started on Aug. 25, 2017, after Myanmar’s military launched a brutal operation against the Muslim minority in the country’s northern region.

Since then, approximately 1.2 million Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh and live now in a precarious situation, including the infamous Cox’s Bazar refugee camp.