Myanmar denounced at UNSC for violence

UN Security Council European member states and Britain on Thursday denounced violence in Myanmar and expressed concern over the coronavirus pandemic in the country, in a document China refused to endorse, diplomatic sources said.

Britain, which initiated the session, said it was concerned about "the heavy toll" an escalation of violence between the Myanmar military and the insurgent Arakan Army was "taking on civilians at the time of COVID-19 crisis."

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The country's northwest has been embroiled in an increasingly brutal civil war between the military and Arakan Army rebels demanding more autonomy for the region's ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.

"The conflict has already led to a spike in internal displacement, additional restrictions on humanitarian access," Britain said in a statement.

EU members Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany expressed the same concern, calling for "an immediate, comprehensive and nationwide ceasefire."