Tribune. Today more than ever, the 55 million Burmese need the support of France. At the United Nations General Assembly, our delegation participates in a debate on the recognition of the Government of National Unity (NUG, acronym for English National Unity Government), who, after winning an overwhelming victory in the legislative elections of November 8, 2020, was ousted by a military coup, just hours before taking office.
The UN has already refused to recognize the junta and, for the moment, left the NUG ambassador in his place of representative of Burma. However, General Assembly delegations, including the French one, must take the next step and formally recognize the democratically elected Burmese government.
The non-recognition of the NUG would have two effects that would worsen the situation in Burma: on the one hand, it would be likely to strengthen the junta and give it the green light to continue the repression, which has already killed more than 1,000, repression that the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma called “Campaign of terror by brute force”, and, on the other hand, it would considerably weaken international and regional mediation.
In line with the UN position
Conversely, recognizing the NUG would send a strong message that France firmly supports democracy and human rights, to which the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has often referred in his latest articles. speech at the UN. This recognition would support efforts to resolve the crisis in Burma through peaceful dialogue.
It would also be the unequivocal signal sent to the junta that its refusal to dialogue “Until the violence stops in Burma” can only lead to economic and diplomatic isolation.
Finally, the recognition of the NUG is the only possible follow-up to France’s condemnations of the coup d’état and the sanctions measures taken, alongside its major allies, notwithstanding the fact that these sanctions have moreover little or no no impact on the ground. More generally, the recognition of the NUG would be in line with the resolution adopted, by an overwhelming majority and with the support of France, by the UN General Assembly on June 18, 2021, condemning the coup d’état. and calling on the Burmese army to “Respect the will of the people”.
The state represents the will of the people
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