The Biden administration has launched a review of whether the actions undertaken by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya Muslim minority constitute genocide, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby said during a congressional hearing on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2021) The Biden administration has launched a review of whether the actions undertaken by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya Muslim minority constitute genocide, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby said during a congressional hearing on Thursday.
"As I mentioned, the [review] process has begun," Busby told a US Senate subcommittee when asked where the Biden administration stands on whether the actions of the Myanmar military with respect to the Rohingya constitute genocide.
Busby said he cannot get into more details on the issue at this point, but indicated that the State Department is dedicated to see the review process produce an answer soon.
"The Secretary [of State Anthony Blinken] is very committed to the review and to this process, and I think we will have an answer on the not distant future," he said.
Busby also stressed that Washington will continue to do utmost to hold those responsible for the Rohingya suffering accountable.
The Rohingya people, a Muslim ethnic group residing in Myanmar's Rakhine State, have clashed with the country's security forces after the government said it was responding to several violent incidents. Some 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 during the uptick of violence in Rakhine State.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, some 860,000 Rohingya refugees are currently based in camps in Cox's Bazar district after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar.
