EU delegation to UN calls for cessation of violence in Myanmar as coup marks 1 year

The EU delegation to the UN in Geneva on Tuesday issued a joint statement on the first anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, expressing concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country and calling for the cessation of violence. The military came to power in Myanmar on February 1 last year. The military coup triggered a wave of civil protests that shook the country from February-May 2021, resulting in more than 1,300 people killed in clashes with law enforcement officers

The latest statement was also issued on the behalf of the foreign ministers of Albania, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and the US. "We once again call for the immediate cessation of violence and for constructive dialogue among all parties to resolve the crisis peacefully. We reiterate our call on the military regime to immediately end the State of Emergency, allow unhindered humanitarian access, release all arbitrarily detained persons, including foreigners, and swiftly return the country to the democratic process," the joint statement said.

It added that the parties are seriously concerned about the more than 400,000 people that have been displaced since the coup, the "deepening humanitarian crisis across the country" and urged the military regime to "provide rapid, full, and unhindered humanitarian access to vulnerable populations, including for the purposes of vaccination against COVID-19." They also urged the international community to cease "the sale and transfer of arms, materiel, dual-use equipment, and technical assistance" to the military in Myanmar.