Guterres Urges Bangladesh to Keep Borders Open for Rohingya Fleeing Myanmar

UN Secretary-General Guterres denounced the violence erupting in Myanmar and appealed to Bangladesh to continue accept Rohingya people.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned once again the violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state and called on the government of Bangladesh to continue to accept Rohingya people fleeing violence, Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the reports of civilians being killed during security operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State," Dujarric said on Monday. "Recognizing that Bangladesh has generously hosted refugees from Myanmar for decades, the Secretary-General appeals for the authorities to continue to allow the Rohingya fleeing violence to seek safety in Bangladesh."

Guterres, whose last statement on Myanmar came just last Friday, reiterated the importance of "addressing the root causes of the violence" and stressed that the responsibility for helping people in need and ensuring their security lies on the Government of Myanmar.

He also emphasized the need to grant humanitarian agencies unimpeded access to the affected communities.

More than 70 people were killed on Friday in coordinated attacks on security posts and military bases in the state of Rakhine. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi strongly condemned the attacks.

Rakhine often suffers from clashes between Myanmar's Muslims and Buddhists. The conflict flared up in 2012 with a series of riots, with yet another escalation beginning last year.