Malaysia Calls on Myanmar to Stop Rohingya Killings
Malaysia’s prime minister has called on Myanmar to “stop the killing” of its Rohingya minority. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it will send a delegation to Myanmar to assess the plight of the minority, according to Reuters.
A crackdown by the Myanmar army has driven 66,000 refugees across the border into Bangladesh in the last three months. The OIC visit, announced on January 19, will look at conditions for the return of refugees.
Security forces have been accused of killing hundreds of members of the Muslim minority in Rakhine state since nine policemen were killed in October last year. Satellite images of the area showed thousands of homes had been burned but few independent observers have been given access to confirm the situation.
Anifah Aman, Malaysia’s foreign minister, said an independent assessment was necessary after Myanmar’s government rejected accusations of widespread abuses against the Rohingya.
“In order to ascertain the reality of it, why not receive an independent team to assess whether what has been said really happened or it is just mere propaganda,” said Anifah.
Soros Partners With Mastercard on Investment for Refugees
Investor and philanthropist George Soros will partner with Mastercard on a new venture to mitigate the refugee crisis.
Humanity Ventures is part of the initiative to come from the $500 million Soros earmarked last September to address challenges facing migrants and refugees.
The venture will invest up to $50 million in solutions designed to expand access to healthcare and education, economic development and entrepreneurship. Mastercard pointed to its Aid Network project – a digital voucher platform – as an example of the approaches it will take.
Soros referred to Humanity Ventures as a for-profit social enterprise that would address migrants’ and refugees’ inability to access government services: “Humanity Ventures is intended to be profitable so as to stimulate involvement from other businesspeople. We also hope to establish standards of practice to ensure that investments are not exploitative of the vulnerable communities we intend to serve,” he said.
“We can have transformational impact by scaling our business-driven organization to leverage innovation, on-the-ground experience and long-term capital investments,” said Ajay Banga, president and CEO of Mastercard.
Power Struggle Drives 26,000 Gambians to Take Refuge in Senegal
Some 26,000 refugees have fled Gambia ahead of a deadline for its president to vacate power, according to Reuters. Senegal’s army is massed on the border with Gambia awaiting a decision by Yahya Jammeh.
The president lost a recent election and the winning candidate, Adama Barrow, is expected to be sworn in despite Jammeh’s refusal to step down.
The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said up to 80 percent of the refugees who have crossed into Senegal are women and children.
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