Several years after the start of the massacre of the Rohingya by the Myanmar (formerly Burma) military, a United Nations commission of inquiry has levelled extremely serious accusations against the authorities of the Asian nation. "Senior military commanders, including the commander-in-chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, must be prosecuted for genocide," states the document published on Monday 27 August.

Read also: Un anno dall'esodo dei rohingya, la minoranza etnica perseguitata che non ha cittadinanza

The crimes committed by the Burmese infantry against the Rohingya

The investigation was led by Marzuki Darusman, former Indonesian attorney general, assisted by two experts: one Sri Lankan and one Australian. Their report also named General Soe Win: it was he who commanded the two infantry divisions, the 33rd and the 99th, deemed responsible for the heinous crimes — including sexual violence — that drove the Rohingya exodus.

Kenneth Roth ✓ @KenRoth

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Why would any Rohingya refugee think it's safe to return home when the Myanmar commanders who directed their slaughter, rape, and ethnic cleansing a year ago have enjoyed complete impunity, starting with the guy at the top, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. bit.ly/2P5F8Ft

♥ 36💬 3 26 ago 2018 · Apri su X →

It was precisely because of such brutal conduct that, on 25 August a year ago, 706,000 people fled to Bangladesh. "Added to the more than two hundred thousand people who had already fled following previous waves of violence, there are now over 919,000 Rohingya living in the Cox's Bazar district," notes Médecins Sans Frontières, which recently estimated at around ten thousand the number of people belonging to the Muslim ethnic minority who have been killed by the Burmese military from October 2016 to the present day.

The United Nations report also cites crimes allegedly committed by the military in other conflict areas, particularly in the states of Kachin and Shan, against separatist groups. Furthermore, on the matter of the Rohingya, indirect responsibility is also attributed to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese leader, according to the United Nations experts, did not "use her position as head of the de facto government, nor her moral authority, to counter and prevent the events."

Canada, the United States and the European Union impose sanctions on Myanmar's military leaders

For some time, the international community has been stepping up measures against Myanmar's military and government officials. On 25 June, the European Union and Canada announced an entry ban to their territories for seven army and law enforcement officers, who are considered "persona non grata." Then on 18 August, the United States also announced similar sanctions against three Burmese generals as well as a border police commander.

It is hard to imagine, however, that any condemnation could come directly from the United Nations Security Council beyond the report itself. As the French daily Le Monde has pointed out, it is likely that China and Russia, which supply arms to Myanmar, would veto any resolution along the lines proposed by Darusman.