A UN official stated on Thursday that millions of people in Myanmar “cannot afford for us to forget” their suffering as the battle between the government and ethnic minority groups continues, citing growing concerns over safety, mass displacement, and famine.
Following the military’s overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021, pro-democracy “People’s Defense Forces” (PDFs) and armed ethnic minority groups engaged in fresh conflicts in areas of Myanmar that had not been affected by decades of violence.
“As the conflict continues to escalate, as humanitarian needs intensify, and with the monsoon season just around the corner, time is of essence for the people of Myanmar,” UN official Lisa Doughten told the Security Council, on behalf of humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.
“They cannot afford for us to forget. They cannot afford to wait. They need the support of the international community now to help them survive in this time of fear and turmoil.”
Ninety percent of the 2.8 million displaced people in Myanmar since the junta took control in 2021, according to the UN, are in need of refuge. Since last autumn, as warfare has been more intense in the country in Southeast Asia, that number has only increased.
An coalition of fighters from ethnic minorities staged a surprise attack in northern Shan state in October, seizing control of vital trade routes to China and conquering land.
Across the country, residents “are living in daily fear for their lives,” Doughten said especially since the junta said in February it would enforce a military service law, allowing it to call up all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 for two years.
“Across Myanmar, hunger is mounting. In 2024, food insecurity will affect some 12.9 million people, or nearly 25 percent of the population,” the UN official added.
UN assistant secretary general for the Middle East, Asia, and Pacific, Khaled Khiari, stated that ending the “military’s campaign of violence and political repression” would be “a vital step.”
He voiced concerns about “unprecedented” turmoil in western Rakhine state, where civilians—most especially Rohingya—are caught in the crossfire between rebels with the Arakan Army and the military.
Approximately one million Rohingya, a primarily Muslim minority, have fled to Bangladesh, a neighboring country, as a result of persecution in mostly Buddhist Myanmar.
The current situation in Rakhine means there is no “immediate prospect for the safe, dignified, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya to their places of origin or choice,” Khiari said.
To try to find a solution to Myanmar’s political crisis, Khiari said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to appoint a new special envoy to the country “in the coming days.”
The post has been vacant since June 2023.
