‘Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Millions of people in Myanmar “live in daily fear for their lives,” said the head of the UN refugee agency on Thursday, following a three-day visit to the conflict-ridden country.

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Four years after the military coup which deposed the democratically elected government, Myanmar’s civil conflict grinds on, leaving millions displaced and without a home.

“The suffering of millions of people across Myanmar is immense,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. “With aerial bombardments, destruction of property, and forced recruitment, they live in daily fear for their lives.”

He added that “civilian men, women and children must be protected from violence, and solutions found so that they can choose to return home in safety and dignity.”

Many crises in need of response

A brutal civil war is not all Myanmar has to face.

In March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country affecting multiple regions including the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. The UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said then on X that the humanitarian response “has been hampered by lack of funding.”

Mr. Grandi, who visited the affected communities earlier this year, urged wider humanitarian access and discussed solutions for the forcibly displaced.

“Millions of people forcibly displaced within the country and as refugees throughout the region, want nothing more than to be able to return home. They demand – and are entitled to – the safety and security that comes with peace.” Mr. Grandi said.

Homes destroyed

Thousands of people also had their homes destroyed after floods swept through many regions in July.

“Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger: the forgotten plight of so many people in Myanmar, like the Rohingya, never ends,” Mr. Grandi said in a post on X.

In the last year and a half, 150,000 Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority in the majority Buddhist country, have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. This marks the largest exodus to the country since 2017, when 750,000 Rohingya sought refuge from the violence in Rakhine state.

A call for solutions

UNHCR works with other UN agencies, NGO partners and communities in Myanmar to address the basic needs, physical safety and well-being of forcibly displaced and stateless people.

But many communities still suffer from lack of access to vital aid. This year’s UN response plan for Myanmar is currently only funded at 22 per cent.

Later this month in New York, Mr. Grandi will attend a high-level conference on the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar, calling for greater regional and international efforts to address the crisis.

“All parties – with the support of the international community – must engage seriously to find solutions to their plight. This is particularly needed for the Rohingya, who have not only been attacked and displaced, but deprived of their basic rights for far too long,” the UNHCR chief said.