Gambia calls on Myanmar military to free civilian detainees
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambian government has called on Myanmar military to immediately release all detained civilian leaders, the call coming days after the military toppled the defector leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
A statement, signed by Gambian government spokesman, Ebrima G. Sankareh, and made available to PANA on Thursday in Banjul, said that Gambia's particular concern is for the welfare of the Rohingya minority group, whose protection from genocide is what Banjul has been seeking in the International Court of Justice.
“Following the recent military takeover in Myanmar, The Gambian Government joins the rest of the international community to express concern over these worrisome political developments, particularly with so many civilian leaders being detained.
The Gambian government calls for their immediate release and respect for democratic norms and processes,” the statement said.
“We are gravely concerned that the same military leadership that marginalized the Rohingya has now seized full control of the Myanmar government, and we fear they may launch another so-called 'clearance operation' to rid the country of the approximately 600,000 Rohingya who survived the last round of human rights violence. We are monitoring events very closely.
“Meanwhile, we emphasize that the Court’s Provisional Measures, ordered in January 2020, are binding on Myanmar, no matter who heads the government. We demand that the military officials who have seized power abide by the Court’s orders and Myanmar’s international obligations,” the statement pointed out.
-0- PANA MSS/VAO 4Feb2021
