The US government is investigating alleged atrocities committed against the Rohingya Muslims.
The State Department led enquiry includes over a thousand interviews with Rohingya men and women in Bangladesh camps between March and April this year.
‘The purpose of this investigation is to contribute to justice processes, including community awareness raising, international advocacy efforts, and community-based reconciliation efforts, as well as possible investigations, truth-seeking efforts, or other efforts for justice and accountability,’ according to a document used by investigators.
The investigators asked refugees a series of questions which included demographic information, departure dates, experiences as well as outlining distinctive information about the military units and identifiable perpetrators involved. The findings will be analysed and compiled into a report by early June. It’s unknown if they’ll be publicly released by the Trump administration or if new sanctions against the Myanmar government will surface as a result.
Last December, the US government imposed targeted sanctions on one of Myanmar’s generals; Maung Maung Soe, for his involvement in human rights violations as well as reducing tenuous military ties with Myanmar. On the question of sanctions, a senior Trump administration source told Reuters,
‘No decisions have been made on that front, but it’s something being looked at very carefully.’
The current investigation is based on one carried out on the violence in Darfur in 2004. The evidence substantiated the US to call the violence genocide and introduce sanctions on the Sudanese government.
In 2017, Xchange launched its #RohSur2017, an investigation into the abuses faced by the Rohingya fleeing Myanmar in the most recent crackdown in Rakhine State. Read the report here. Help us continue our in-depth research on the Rohingya by donating here.
Sources:
The U.S. Is Investigating Myanmar’s Alleged Atrocities Committed Against Rohingya; Time; http://time.com/5255322/myanmar-rohingya-atrocities-investigation/
US TEAM IN REFUGEE CAMPS INVESTIGATING ATROCITIES AGAINST ROHINGYA; Eyewitness News; http://ewn.co.za/2018/04/26/us-team-in-refugee-camps-investigating-atrocities-against-rohingya
U.S. sanctions Myanmar general, others for abuses, corruption; Reuters; https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sanctions/u-s-sanctions-myanmar-general-others-for-abuses-corruption-idUSKBN1EF221