A joint statement has been released by several nations on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar, which is still facing violence and turmoil four years after a coup.
Published by the High Representative, the statement was made on behalf of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom.
“There are credible reports of human rights violations and abuses and international humanitarian law violations committed against civilians,” it reads.
These include abduction and forced recruitment of children, aerial bombardments that kill and injure civilians, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on humanitarian workers and facilities and restrictions on humanitarian access by the military.
Just days before the statement, the United Nations reported an attack by Myanmar’s military in the western state of Rakhine this week which killed dozens of people and destroyed about 500 homes.
The statement urged the military regime to “de-escalate violence, respect international humanitarian law and international human rights laws, protect civilians, and allow full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access” and called for “genuine, constructive, and inclusive dialogue to find a peaceful solution”.