Jolie urges Myanmar to end violence vs Rohingya Muslims
COX’S BAZAR (AP) — Angelina Jolie on Tuesday urged Myanmar to show a genuine commitment to ending violence and displacement in its Rakhine state, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh for safety.
Jolie, a special envoy for the UN’s refugee agency, spoke as she visited sprawling camps in Bangladesh that are home to one million Rohingya refugees. More than 700,000 have arrived since August 2017, when Myanmar’s army led a violent crackdown following attacks on security posts by a Rohingya insurgent group.
Jolie is visiting for three days before launching a global appeal for $920 million, chiefly to support the refugees’ needs for 2019. She met and talked with refugees, including children and rape victims.
“It was deeply upsetting to meet the families who have only known persecution and statelessness their whole lives, who speak of being treated like cattle,” she told reporters at the Kutupalong refugee camp.