At U.N Buhari Kicks Against Treatment of Rohingya, But Ignore Similar Treatments To Nigerians At Home

In an example of charity begins abroad and not at home, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly, New York, kicked against Israel and Myanmar over the alleged persecution of Palestinian and Rohingya people, respectively.

Buhari’s speech is coming against the background of Nigeria’s military violent clampdown on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and before that in December of 2015 where hundreds of Shiites were killed in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Amnesty International in February accused the Nigerian military killing no fewer than 240 in Borno State, including women and babies, and 177 IPOB members in the South East, extra-judicially, a claim the army had denied.

“New conflicts should not make us lose focus on ongoing unresolved old conflicts. For example, several UN Security Council Resolutions from 1967 on the Middle East crisis remain unimplemented. Meanwhile, the suffering of the Palestinian people and the blockade of Gaza continue.

“Additionally, we are now confronted by the desperate human rights and humanitarian situations in Yemen and most tragically in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994.

“The international community cannot remain silent and not condemn the horrendous suffering caused by what, from all indications is a state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion. We fully endorse the call by the Secretary-General on the Government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity,” Buhari said.

He noted that “in all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children. That is why the theme of this session: Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet” is most apposite.”

Many Nigerians especially those in the South East and the ravaged communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt will wonder what has happened to them when they are constantly under threat of arms either by the military of suspected Fulani herdsmen.