UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Myanmar amid the ongoing violence in the country.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, the military and the Arakan Army committed human rights violations against the minority Rohingya community in Myanmar, despite their obligations to protect the Rohingya community under international humanitarian law and the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The violations committed by the military and the Arakan Army allegedly include forced recruitments, beheadings, extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate bombardments of towns.

Türk said that tens of thousands of individuals, which consisted of a substantial number of Rohingya, fled a major offensive of the Arakan Army in the past four months. Dozens of individuals were also killed on August 5 in an attack along the Naf River, which is located close to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Türk said that thousands of Rohingya were forced to flee on foot and relocated to dangerous locations by the Arakan Army. In addition, Türk stated that the Rohingya community has no path to safety as they are trapped between the military and the Arakan Army while border crossings to Bangladesh are closed.

Türk highlighted the challenges to protect civilians in Myanmar:

This month marks seven years since the military operations which drove 700,000 across the border into Bangladesh. Despite the world saying “never again” we are once more witnessing killings, destruction and displacement in Rakhine [State]. Parties to the armed conflict are issuing statements denying responsibility for attacks against the Rohingya and others, acting as though they are powerless to protect them. This stretches the bounds of credulity … Despite repeated warnings and calls for action, the ongoing violence underscores the prevailing sense of impunity and the persistent challenges in ensuring protection of civilians in accordance with international law[.]

Türk stated that a rising number of Rohingya are seeking assistance for conflict-related injuries and some died of diarrhea. Hospitals in the towns of Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Rakhine State are also closed because of the violence. Türk urged the military and the Arakan Army to bear responsibility and protect civilians. He said:

[T]hose responsible must be held accountable, and justice must be pursued relentlessly … Recurrence of the crimes and horrors of the past must be prevented as a moral duty and a legal necessity. It is the responsibility of the international community, with [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] at the forefront, to take all necessary measures to protect the Rohingya and other civilian victims of this cruel conflict.

The Rohingya are a minority Muslim community that predominantly live in Rakhine State. A report released in January alleged that ethnic and religious minorities in the majority Buddhist country are being targeted by the military. In March, a UN official expressed concerns for the Rohingya community as the junta’s attacks impacted the Rohingya community to the largest extent.

On July 3, the ICJ unanimously decided to allow seven states to intervene in the ongoing genocide case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar. The countries granted permission to participate in the proceedings are Maldives, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The Gambia alleged that Myanmar’s actions against the Rohingya ethnic group in Rakhine State violated provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

The ICJ also issued provisional measures in January 2020, ordering Myanmar to take steps to prevent acts of genocide against the Rohingya. The effectiveness of the provisional measures was questioned at the time. Human Rights Watch claimed that it continued to document abuses against the Rohingya in Myanmar despite the provisional measures. On June 27, 89 civil rights groups urged the UN Security Council to coordinate an intervention to halt “surging violence and atrocities” and protect Rohingya and other ethnic minorities in Myanmar.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell also urged Bangladesh and other states on May 24 to effectively protect the Rohingya community. Throssell said that over one million Rohingya sought refuge in Bangladesh and about 45,000 Rohingya sought protection from the fighting by fleeing to the vicinity of the Naf River.