UN chief appoints new Myanmar envoy

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of Christine Schraner Burgener, Switzerland's ambassador to Germany, as his new special envoy to Myanmar. The announcement came just days before the Security Country travels to Bangladesh and Myanmar for a firsthand look at the Rohingya refugee crisis. At least 700,000 Muslim-minority Rohingya have been driven out of Myanmar since Myanmar's army launched a military operation in Rakhine state in August. Most of them are now living in crowded camps in Bangladesh. The violence has left a trail of torched villages in its wake, with allegations of murder and rape at the hands of troops and militias. Myanmar has vehemently denied allegations of ethnic cleansing from the United Nations, Britain, France and the United States. Schraner Burgener, who also served as Swiss ambassador to Thailand from 2009 to 2015, takes up the post after a months-long search for a special emissary. The General Assembly in December asked Guterres to appoint a special envoy in a resolution that called on Myanmar to end its military campaign in Rakhine. Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar served as UN special adviser on Myanmar until 2016, under former UN chief Ban Ki-moon.