24th April, 2018
A coalition of 32 groups in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State urged the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, citing deaths and displacement of civilians by Myanmar army operations in March.
“Residents of the Kachin region have endured various forms of human rights violation as well as denial of humanitarian assistance by the Burmese [Myanmar] military,” the joint statement from the groups said.
The groups including the Kachin Peace Network and Kachin Development Networking Group among others.
Some 3,000 people in Kachin have been newly displaced in clashes between the Myanmar army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to a statement by the UN office for the coordination of Myanmar, issued on Monday.
One-time democracy icon Aung-San Suu-Kyi made ending Myanmar’s 70-year civil war a priority when her National League of Democracy won landslide elections in 2015, ending five decades of military rule.
The KIA has regularly clashed with the Myanmar army since a ceasefire broke down in 2011.
“Our people have been subject to numerous violations of international law, including executions, torture, forced displacement, forced labour, rape and other forms of sexual violence, confiscation of property, arbitrary arrest and detention, and denial of humanitarian assistance,” read Tuesday’s statement.
“The international community needs to be stronger, and not just listen to the Myanmar government and Suu-Kyi,” Khon Ja of the Kachin Peace Network said.