Rohingya crisis: UNSC team due on April 29

Bangladesh will describe the brutalities that the Rohingyas faced in Rakhine State and steps taken by the government here to the UN Security Council delegation, which is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on April 29. 

The UNSC delegation comprising envoys from five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members is scheduled to visit Rohingya camps and the zero line along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to see the situation on the ground.

The delegation will arrive on April 29 and they will meet Rohingyas in the camps on the same day, a diplomatic source told UNB today.

The UN Security Council is composed of 15 members with five permanent members -- China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members.

The delegation members are expected to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and top government officials on April 30, an official told UNB. The visit of the UNSC was originally scheduled for April 27-28.

Earlier, Bangladesh urged the UN Security Council to undertake visits to Myanmar and Bangladesh to witness the humanitarian situation of the Rohingya amid continuous influx of the refugees.

Over 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh, and the influx, though reduced in recent weeks, continues despite Myanmar's assurances of stopping violence in Rakhine.

On April 6, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina invited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Bangladesh to see for himself the plight of Rohingyas who have taken shelter here amid persecution in Myanmar.

During the telephonic conversation, Sheikh Hasina also sought UN cooperation in implementing the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar over repartition of the Rohingyas.

On Thursday, April 19, US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said the Myanmar military and other authorities must be held accountable for the "horrific and organised violence" against Rohingyas.

The US diplomat said their country will continue to focus on the issue with great importance. "We're also in discussions about what additional actions should take place...the investigation is moving forward, and I think you'll find additional action in the days to come."

Earlier, the UN Security Council has been given green lights for visits this month to Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Peru's UN ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra is the council president for April.

He said, according to an AP report, council members hope to visit Myanmar's western Rakhine state, where about 700,000 Rohingyas lived before fleeing to Bangladesh to escape a brutal military counterinsurgency campaign - and thousands still remain.