US official to visit Bangladesh for talks on easing Rohingya plight

A US delegation of senior State Department officials will conclude a week-long visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh today.

The delegation has met with senior officials from Myanmar, the UN and Bangladesh throughout the trip to discuss the American and international responses to the ongoing crisis in the Rakhine State. Specifically, the delegation has sought to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the crisis. The officials did not visit the impacted region.

The trip has coincided with Aung San Suu Kyi’s first visit to Rakhine State since becoming the de facto leader of Myanmar in 2015. Suu Kyi travelled to Rohingya villages, where she reportedly told residents to “not quarrel” and gave assurances that the government was “there to help them”.

Suu Kyi’s visit to the region is promising, considering her former reluctance to condemn the atrocities. Regardless, the reality remains that much more than shallow words and symbolism will be required to resolve what is a worsening humantarian crisis.

Delve deeper: Proxies: The brutal geopolitics of the Rohingya crisis