Reports of bulldozing of alleged mass graves showed a “deliberate attempt by the authorities to destroy evidence of potential international crimes, including possible crimes against humanity,” Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein added in a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine into Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a security crackdown in August, joining 200,000 refugees from a previous exodus.

Zeid noted that his office said on Tuesday that it believes ethnic cleansing is still underway in Rakhine.

Rohingya are still fleeing because of “systematic” if lower-intensity persecution and violence there, he said.

“Victims have reported killings, rape, torture and abductions by the security forces and local militia, as well as apparently deliberate attempts to force the Rohingya to leave the area through starvation, with officials blocking their access to crops and food supplies,” Zeid told the Geneva forum.

“This Council is aware that my office has strong suspicions that acts of genocide may have taken place in Rakhine State since August,” he added.

There was no immediate comment by the Myanmar government. In the Council, its delegation is allowed to respond on Thursday.

His office had received reports of land inhabited by Rohingya being appropriated and members of other ethnic groups replacing them.

“A recent announcement that seven soldiers and three police officers will be brought to justice for the alleged extra-judicial killing of ten Rohingya men is grossly insufficient,” he added.

Myanmar’s government must take steps to provide real accountability for violations and respect the rights of Rohingya, including to citizenship, Zeid said.

A fact-finding mission set up by the Council, headed by former Indonesian Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman, is due to report on its initial findings on Monday after interviewing victims and survivors in Bangladesh and other countries.

Pending their final report, the U.N. General Assembly should establish a new independent mechanism to expedite criminal proceedings in courts against those responsible, Zeid said.

–

Source: Reuters

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A statement from the Bangladesh foreign ministry said displaced people could begin to return within two months.

The two sides say they are working on the details. The crisis has been called ethnic cleansing by the UN and the US.

Aid agencies have raised concerns about the forcible return of the Rohingya unless their safety can be guaranteed.

The Rohingya are a stateless minority who have long experienced persecution in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

More than 600,000 have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since deadly Rohingya attacks on police posts prompted a military crackdown in Rakhine state in late August.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Myanmar’s military action against the minority Rohingya population constituted ethnic cleansing.

“The ‘Arrangement’ stipulates that the return shall commence within two months,” a press release from the Bangladeshi government said.

Few other details were released following the signing of the memorandum in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali said it was a “first step”. Senior Myanmar official Myint Kyaing said it was ready to receive the Rohingya “as soon as possible”.

Myanmar’s conditions of return remain unclear, and many Rohingya are terrified of being sent back. Refugees at Kutupalong Camp in Bangladesh said they want guarantees of citizenship and their land returned.

“We will go back if they don’t harass us and if we can live life like the Buddhists and other ethnic minorities,” one man, Sayed Hussein, told Reuters.

“I don’t trust the Myanmar government. My husband left three times and this is my second time to leave. The Myanmar government is always like this,” a woman, Narusha, said.

Last week Myanmar’s powerful military head, Min Aung Hlaing, told Mr Tillerson that Rohingyas could return to Myanmar only if “real citizens” accepted them, referring to ethnic Rakhine members of the country’s Buddhist majority.

Both countries are under pressure on the issue, for different reasons.

Bangladesh wants to show its population that the Rohingya will not be permanent residents – it was already hosting about 400,000 before the latest influx.

The Burmese authorities – and particularly de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi – are responding to international calls to do more to resolve the crisis.

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Several people are missing after the incident in the Naf River late on Sunday. It is thought up to 100 people – including children – were on board.

A rescue operation is now under way.

Dozens of Rohingya have already died trying to cross into neighbouring Bangladesh amid a military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

The exact number of people onboard the boat which capsized on Sunday remains unclear, with Bangladesh border guard officials giving estimates varying from 40 to up to 100.

Officials say the bodies of 10 children, a woman and a man have been recovered so far.

It was the latest in a series of deadly incidents involving boats carrying Rohingya migrants to Bangladesh. About 60 people were believed to have died in a similar incident in late September.

While many have fled via the land border, others have attempted to make the crossing by sea in small and rickety fishing boats.

“So many people are still willing to get onboard boats that are overcrowded, potentially people unable to swim. They’re literally putting their lives at risk to make it across to Bangladesh,” said Evan Schuurman, a spokesman with aid agency Save the Children.

It was the latest in a series of deadly incidents involving boats carrying Rohingya migrants to Bangladesh. About 60 people were believed to have died in a similar incident in late September.

While many have fled via the land border, others have attempted to make the crossing by sea in small and rickety fishing boats.

“So many people are still willing to get onboard boats that are overcrowded, potentially people unable to swim. They’re literally putting their lives at risk to make it across to Bangladesh,” said Evan Schuurman, a spokesman with aid agency Save the Children.

It was the latest in a series of deadly incidents involving boats carrying Rohingya migrants to Bangladesh. About 60 people were believed to have died in a similar incident in late September.

While many have fled via the land border, others have attempted to make the crossing by sea in small and rickety fishing boats.

“So many people are still willing to get onboard boats that are overcrowded, potentially people unable to swim. They’re literally putting their lives at risk to make it across to Bangladesh,” said Evan Schuurman, a spokesman with aid agency Save the Children.

The military has been widely accused of conducting ethnic cleansing and genocide, but it has rejected all these allegations, saying it has only targeted Rohingya militants.

Other communities in Rakhine state such as Hindus have also been affected by violence, some allegedly committed by Rohingya militants. But correspondents say that the widespread reports of abuse of Rohingya indicate that they have been disproportionately affected.
–
By: BBC

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They have accused world leaders of turning a blind eye to the happenings in Myanmar hence their action.

[contextly_sidebar id=”T4gPkoN6DWJYKR8vAxUwVBHI3mU9NpHa”]The group during the protest presented a petition to the Israeli Embassy in Ghana.

Myanmar is currently in the midst of a brutal crackdown against its Muslim minority Rohingya population, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.

Speaking to Citi News, a leader of the group, Ras Mubarak, who’s also a Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, said an immediate action must be taken by world leaders to end the attack.

“..We are here at the Obra Spot in Circle to begin a procession to Accra which is the Art centre where some of us will leave and go to the Isreali Embassy to deliver a petition. We are requesting for the Isreali Embassy to stop the sale of arms to the army in Myanmar. As you may be aware, there are a group of countries who as of last year were selling arms to Myanmar, and the reason we are doing this is because of past history. We have the history of Holocaust, we have the Rwandan situation and the Sierra Leonean situation, and if we do not speak out against such atrocities in the world, we all become complicit in the crimes that are being perpetuated by the people who have the power to perpetuate crime.”

The demonstration came off, despite a call from the Accra Regional Police Command to call off the protest.

The group notified the Police about its demonstration [which will be staged in Ghana] against the state of Israel, following alleged reports of the sale of arms to the Myanmar government.

Rohingyas have been fleeing attacks in Western Myanmar, specifically Rakhine state, which began on August 25, 2017. The incident led to insurgents attacking Police posts and an army camp which killed about twelve persons in the process.

The military has been accused of burning Rohingya villages, but the army has explained that it is only responding to attacks by militants and not targeting civilians.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This model sees SAP’s partners directly licensing the software and then offering applications directly to clients as a service.

Nosmay delivers application, infrastructure and enterprise solutions to its customers, with the goal of assisting organisations to use technology to stay competitive, increases their profitability and driving their growth.

In an interview with citifmonline.com, Communications Consultant at Nosmay, Adelaide Ntow said “Through this partnership Nosmay will be able to better address the lower and upper end of the Ghanaian and West African markets with a subscription based cloud offering that will drastically reduce the cost of operations for our customers and will also enable us to scale our operations, be more competitive and drastically increase the reach of SAP within West Africa.”

According to a recent forecast1 from market research company International Data Corporation (IDC) titled “Worldwide Spending on Hosted Private Cloud Services to Surpass $24 Billion in 2016”, the hosted private cloud services market will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 50 percent between 2012 and 2016.

“Our MCaaS model is yet another example of the choice that we are providing to our partners. It opens the door for some partners to engage with SAP in a way that makes sense for their business. Partners have told us that it’s a great approach to help them tap into operating expense budgets, to create differentiated solutions based on SAP software, and to maximise revenue from their own intellectual property by targeting a much broader market than might otherwise be possible,” says Richard Edet, MD of SAP West Africa.

SAP Africa is planning to make greater investments with the aim of providing its MCaaS partners with additional support that includes business development resources. The latter will help match partners with the right opportunities, allowing them to grow their business.

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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