Page 6 - aruba-today-20220323

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 23 March 2022
Rohingya refugees welcome U.S. calling repression genocide

By JULHAS ALAM prisoned as part of ongo-
Associated Press ing repression of anyone
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) opposed to the ruling junta.
— Rohingya refugees in Currently Bangladesh is
Bangladesh welcomed hosting more than 1 million
Monday’s announcement Rohingya refugees. More
by the United States that it than 700,000 Rohingya
considers the violent repres- have fled from Buddhist-
sion of their largely Muslim majority Myanmar to refu-
ethnic group in Myanmar a gee camps in Bangladesh
genocide. since August 2017, when
Myanmar’s military govern- the military launched an
ment, which has already operation aimed at clear-
been sued in the Interna- ing them from the country
tional Court of Justice on following attacks by a reb-
genocide charges, said it el group. In its first official
categorically rejected the reaction following the U.S.
U.S. declaration. action, the foreign minis-
As news of the announce- try of Myanmar’s military
ment by U.S. Secretary Rohingya refugee Sala Uddin, talks to the Associated Press at the Kutupalong Rohingya camp in government firmly rejected
of State Antony Blinken Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, Monday, March 21, 2022. the accusations. The state-
spread across the sprawl- Associated Press ment issued Tuesday eve-
ing camps in Cox’s Bazar has opened up because of to see what actions and harsh economic sanctions ning charged that Blinken’s
district that are now home the declaration.” “concrete steps” follow. by the U.S. against Myan- declaration was politically
to about 1 million Rohingya, The U.S. made the deter- “Just by saying that geno- mar could be the next out- motivated and amounted
many residents expressed mination Monday to call cide had been committed come. He said it was also to interference in Myan-
their enthusiasm. the repression a genocide in Myanmar against the Ro- equally important to see mar’s internal affairs.
“We are very happy on the based on confirmed ac- hingya is not good enough. whether the U.S. would However, a statement from
declaration of the geno- counts of mass atrocities I think we need to see what take interest in supporting Myanmar’s main opposi-
cide; many many thanks,” on civilians by Myanmar’s would follow from that the International Court of tion group, the National
said 60-year-old Sala Uddin, military in a widespread statement,” Ahmed said. Justice in The Hague where Unity Government, which
who lives at Kutupalong and systematic campaign He said it was too early to Myanmar is facing a trial considers itself to be the
camp. against the Rohingya, Blink- say how the new develop- put forward by Gambia. country’s legitimate ad-
“It has been 60 years start- en said in a speech at the ment would ensure the rec- Myanmar’s government is ministrative body, said it
ing from 1962 that the U.S. Holocaust Memorial ognition of the Rohingya already under multiple lay- welcomed Washington’s
Myanmar government has Museum. refugees, who have long ers of U.S. sanctions since declaration. The group was
been torturing us and many Imtiaz Ahmed, director of been denied citizenship in a military coup ousted the established by lawmakers
other communities includ- the Centre for Genocide Myanmar, and the funda- democratically elected who were not allowed to
ing Rohingya,” he said. “I Studies at the University of mental questions remained government in February take their seats when the
think a path to take action Dhaka, said the declara- how and when they would 2021. Thousands of civilians army seized power from
by the international com- tion was “a positive step,” go back to Myanmar. throughout the country the elected government of
munity against Myanmar but it would be important He also said that going for have been killed and im- Aung San Suu Kyi. q

East Africa’s hunger crisis needs global action, says Oxfam

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA an injection of funds to the people are facing severe sands die from an unavoid- more than capable of do-
Associated Press region’s most vulnerable hunger in the Horn of Af- able hunger crisis in East Af- ing so.”
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — communities, the interna- rica as a result of persistent rica because we couldn’t Somalia is particularly vul-
Widespread hunger across tional aid group Oxfam drought conditions, ac- get this into the agenda.” nerable because it faces
East Africa could become warned Tuesday. cording to the United Na- Somalia, Ethiopia and Ke- sporadic violence and
“a catastrophe” without An estimated 13 million tions. nya face the driest condi- there is concern the situ-
Only 3% of the needed tions recorded since 1981, ation could deteriorate.
$6 billion has been raised the U.N. World Food Pro- Hundreds of thousands of
for food assistance amid gram reported in February. Somalis have already fled
“competing priorities,” as More forecasts of below- their homes in search of
the world’s attention has average rainfall threaten help.
focused on the humani- to worsen conditions in the About 250,000 people in
tarian crisis in the war in coming months, the agen- Somalia died from hunger
Ukraine, Oxfam Internation- cy warned. in 2011, when the U.N. de-
al Executive Director Gabri- Malnutrition rates are high clared a famine in some
ela Bucher said in Kenya’s in the region and drought parts of the country. Half of
capital, Nairobi. conditions are affecting them were children.
“The brutal truth is that at pastoral and farming com- Bucher called for “a life-
the moment East Africa is munities. saving” cash injection to
not on the global agen- While it “feels like a world on support local responders
da,” said Bucher. The world fire,” donors “don’t have to to cope with the impact of
risks “ignoring one of the choose. The human rights drought conditions.
Herders supply water from a borehole to give to their camels greatest crises,” she said. and humanitarian needs “A life in Somalia is equal
near Kuruti, in Garissa County, Kenya Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. “2022 cannot be the year of all people must be met,” to the life of anyone else in
Associated Press in which hundreds of thou- said Bucher. “Our world is the world,” she said.q