Burma: France is "fully mobilized" regarding Rohingya situation

Paris, 25 July 2019

Burma (Myanmar) – Rohingya situation – Reply by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to a written question in the Senate

The Rohingya situation remains very worrying. Fighting between Rakhine separatists from the Arakan Army and the Burmese army in Rakhine State is making the security and humanitarian situation on the ground even worse. France remains fully mobilized with its partners, in particular at the United Nations Human Rights Council, General Assembly and Security Council.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs had a meeting with State Counsellor Ms Aung San Suu Kyi in Beijing on 26 April 2019. During this meeting, the Minister reiterated his concern about the human rights situation in Burma, particularly as regards the Rohingyas.

The fight against impunity is a priority, in order for a lasting solution to be brought to the crisis, at the same time as an immediate restoration of humanitarian access in Rakhine, assistance to refugees and internally displaced people, until the conditions for a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return are met.

The conclusions of the report by the Fact-Finding Mission, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, confirmed the extreme seriousness of the accusations levelled against the Burmese army. To support the fight against impunity, the Human Rights Council created an Independent Investigative Mechanism to collect and preserve evidence, through a resolution brought jointly by the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

France co-sponsored the latest UN Human Rights Council resolution, adopted on 22 March 2019, which calls for this new mechanism to enter swiftly into operation. Its team is currently being put together.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also declared that it is able to exercise jurisdiction over the crime of deporting Rohingyas to Bangladesh. In this respect, France welcomed the ICC Prosecutor’s decision to open, on 18 September 2018, a Preliminary Examination into the alleged crime of deportation. Following the ICC’s first official visit to the Rohingya camps in south-east Bangladesh in March 2019, the ICC Prosecutor has just requested the Pre-Trial Chamber to open an investigation into alleged crimes, within the jurisdiction of the Court, of which at least one element occurred on Bangladeshi territory (party to the Rome Statute)./.

Link :https://uk.ambafrance.org/Burma-France-is-fully-mobilized-regarding-Rohingya-situation