Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network are now

March 27, 2013

The Honorable John Kerry Secretary of State United States Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Kerry: I am writing to express our grave concerns about the latest ominous warning signs of genocide arising in Burma. The Burmese government has proven either unwilling or incapable of stopping the spread of violence and is in many cases itself complicit in continuing severe human rights abuses and denial of humanitarian aid throughout the country. Urgent action is required by the United States including leadership in the United Nations Security Council toward establishing a UN observer mission to deter escalation and an international Commission of Inquiry to hold those who are inciting and perpetrating ethnically and religiously targeted violence to account. There is no time to lose. The latest violence in central Burma has led to the deaths of at least 40 people and the displacement of 12,000 others. With reports of widespread anti-Muslim propaganda and organized attacks including the burning of Muslim homes and mosques, the recent violence mirrors the anti-Muslim sentiments and troubling government response seen in violence that has killed over 150 and displaced 125,000 Rohingya people in western Burma. Two days ago, the United Nations Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, released a statement warning that there is a considerable risk of further violence if measures are not put in place to prevent this escalation. The statement (attached for your reference) went on to call upon the Burmese government to take measures to protect populations still at risk. This response is wholly inadequate given the escalation of violence and the disturbing track record of the government of Burma. Strong action by the international community is needed immediately. As pointed out by the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Burma just last week, the Burmese government and security forces themselves continue to perpetrate severe human rights abuses against ethnic groups like the Kachin and Shan and in other parts of Burma. The government has further systematically restricted humanitarian aid and imposed discriminatory policies on the Rohingya who, as Human Rights Watch reports, are facing a humanitarian crisis that could turn disastrous with the coming rainy season. The governments efforts to avoid further outbreaks of violence and to respond quickly and effectively require the assistance, and insistence, of the international community. 1100 17th Street, N.W., Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202-556-2118 | fax 202-467-0001 www.endgenocide.org

The latest outbreak of violence underscores the need for an international Commission of Inquiry. Those who are inciting and perpetrating ethnically and religiously targeted violence must be held to account and it must be clear to all that that such violence will not be tolerated. The Commissions mandate should cover not just the areas of recent violence but anywhere in Burma that has seen severe human rights abuses. Burma has seen historic progress in the last two years, but the truth is that its government continues to commit severe human rights abuses and to display insufficient response to ethnically and religiously motivated attacks. The international community cannot afford to stand by as the recent progress is put at risk and ongoing abuses threaten to worsen to unprecedented levels, even for Burma. We urge immediate action by the United States and the United Nations to avert further bloodshed. Sincerely,

Thomas H. Andrews President and CEO United to End Genocide Attachment cc: Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations