The head of the United Nations and Western governments called on Monday for “calm” to be restored and a “democratic transition” to begin in Bangladesh, with the US government excluding the role of the armed forces, which announced the formation of an interim government after the exodus. of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called in a statement released by his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq for a “peaceful, orderly and democratic transition” in the South Asian country of 170 million souls, a partner of major economies, especially in the textile sector.
In Washington, a US diplomat called on “all parties to refrain from the use of further violence” as “too many lives have been lost in recent weeks”, urging “calm” and “restraint” in the “coming days”. .
Matthew Miller also made sure to “welcome the announcement (by the head of the army) that an interim government has been formed”, while warning that “any transition should be done as required by law in Bangladesh”.
Asked about the role of security forces in the crisis and transition in Bangladesh, Mr Miller welcomed reports that “the military resisted pressure to suppress” the protests.
The role of the army and police
Although the armed forces and police have supported Ms Hasina’s government since the unrest began, on Sunday the army and police repeatedly failed to intervene to disperse protesters — as in previous mass demonstrations.
For Mr. Miller, “all decisions about the interim government must be made with respect for democratic principles, the rule of law and the will of the people of Bangladesh.”
The United Kingdom—the erstwhile colonial power before the bloody partition of India and Pakistan, including what was then East Pakistan, before it finally became the independent state of Bangladesh in 1971—in turn called for the restoration of “calm” and for there to be “de-escalation”.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina escaped by helicopter on Monday, after fifteen years in power and a month of deadly protests, with army chief Waqar uz Zaman announcing the imminent formation of an interim government.
The sad report
A day after riots left nearly a hundred dead, another 66 people died yesterday, AFP sources in police and hospitals said. A total of 366 people have been killed in the clashes since protests began in July, according to an AFP tally based on data from police, government sources and health facilities in the Asian country.
“We are deeply saddened by the reports of human rights violations, deaths and injuries over the weekend and in recent weeks,” State Department spokesman Miller said, while UN Secretary-General Haque’s deputy spokesman said “independent investigations should be conducted.” » incident investigations.
The head of European diplomacy, Giuseppe Borrell, also expressed in a statement released by his services in Brussels the “sorrow of the EU” for the “tragic loss of human life” and called for an “orderly and peaceful transition to a democratically elected government”.
Canada, for its part, “strongly condemned” the “violations of human rights” in the mass demonstrations and called on “all parties” to respect and defend “democratic institutions” and the rule of law, in a statement released by its services Foreign Minister Melanie Joli.
Daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina Wazed returned to power in 2009 after a first term as prime minister from 1996 to 2001.
SOURCE: APE-ME
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