UK envoy urges strong response to Myanmar violence

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called for urgent action to stop the ongoing violence in Myanmar following a military coup. The United Kingdom's Ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, said after a council meeting that international partners "continue to closely monitor the situation."

She urged colleagues in the council and regional partners to "help end this senseless violence, hold those responsible to account and secure a path back to democracy." The Feb. 1 military coup ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi after her National League for Democracy Party won 82% of the vote in November elections.

The military contends there was ballot fraud, but the electoral commission upheld the results. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions. As the generals loosened their grip, culminating in Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to leadership in 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.

(Image Credit: AP)