World must act now to protect the Rohingya

The only hope lies with the international community rising as a collective force to ensure justice prevails

The despicable horrors being committed in north-western Myanmar on the Rohingya community have dragged on for far too long without any major intervention or outcry from the international community. A new report released by the United Nations rights body has added to the documented evidence on the systematic persecution and torture being unleashed on the Muslim minority community by the state apparatus of Myanmar — revealing accounts of torture, murder and gang-rape at the hands of security forces that were so severe that they could amount to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Among the brutal testimonies published were accounts of children butchered with knives while their mothers were raped by security forces.

While there is an urgent need to investigate such horrific atrocities by multilateral agencies with a clear mandate to punish the guilty, ironically, a Myanmar state commission probing those allegations has given the military a clean chit — saying such charges were not found to be credible. This makes an utter travesty of the fundamental human right to dignity and justice.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Myanmar’s Nobel laureate leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not take any decisive action to mitigate the plight of the Rohingya nor will she unequivocally condemn the atrocities, for the sake of her political survival. The only hope, therefore, now lies with the international community rising as a collective force to impose the rule of law and ensure that justice is done to the Rohingya. The UAE has shown the way through its sustained humanitarian assistance for the community and vocal condemnation in international platforms. The time for the international community to act is now — before many hundreds more are slaughtered, women are raped and children are butchered.