HRW: More Than 400 Buildings Burned in Rohingya Muslim Villages
Human Rights Watch has published satellite imagery showing buildings destroyed by fire in several Rohingya villages in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
“New satellite images not only confirm the widespread destruction of Rohingya villages but show that it was even greater than we first thought,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Burmese authorities should promptly establish a U.N.-assisted investigation as a first step toward ensuring justice and security for the victims.”
The images, taken between October 22 and November 10, show the destruction of more than 400 buildings in three villages.
Meanwhile, security forces admitted they launched a series of airstrikes in villages populated by Rohingya Muslims after alleged assailants attacked troops Friday, leaving two soldiers and six attackers dead, the BBC reported.
Journalists and government officials have been unable to confirm claims about escalating violence because the military has denied access to the areas in question.
“The Burmese armed forces are not only keeping independent observers out of affected Rohingya areas, they apparently aren’t even telling their own government what happened,” Adams said. “The authorities need to allow the U.N., the media and rights monitors unfettered access into the area to determine what happened and what needs to be done.”
Amnesty: ‘Slum Clearing’ in Nigeria Could Leave 300,000 Internally Displaced
Some 30,000 people in Lagos, Nigeria, have been forced to flee after their homes in the Otodo Gbame community were set on fire and demolished, reportedly on government orders, reports Amnesty International.
Citing “security threats” and public health concerns, the government plans to demolish waterfront shantytowns in a move that could leave 300,000 people homeless. Critics say the demolitions are part of a “slum clearing” effort to allow “luxury redevelopment.”
Andrew Maki, co-director of Lagos-based legal campaign group Justice and Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) told Reuters that these people have nowhere else to go and have been forced to sleep in boats.
“With over 30,000 residents of Otodo Gbame already homeless there is presently a humanitarian disaster in Lagos,” he said. “It is almost unthinkable to calculate the implications of that number growing tenfold to 300,000. Where would they sleep? Who will feed them?”
Amnesty International has asked the government to provide shelter for those who are forcibly displaced.
UNHCR: ‘Severe Deterioration of Conditions’ for Migrants on Aegean Island
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that migrants and refugees on the eastern Aegean island of Samos are facing a “severe deterioration” in living conditions.
The agency called for urgent action to address the refugees’ and migrants’ humanitarian needs.
Heavy rainfall last week “led to a situation of emergency” at a migrant center on Samos. The center is now hosting 2,000 migrants and refugees, more than double its capacity of 850 people.
Many migrants have been left in “small camping tents out in the open, with limited access to services such as toilets and showers, exposed to protection and security risks,” UNHCR said. The heavy rain flooded their tents and UNHCR requested alternative accommodation for those affected.
To alleviate the overcrowding on Samos, UNHCR has also called for the speeding up of procedures for processing asylum applications and the transfer of migrants to mainland Greece.
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