The United Nations says there are growing concerns for the protection of civilians in Myanmar as armed conflict continues to spread across the country. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), landmine contamination, explosive hazards, fighting with heavy weapons, and aerial bombardment continue to drive people from their homes in several states, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation.
In its latest update on Myanmar, issued on Monday, OCHA said more than 3 million people are estimated to be internally displaced throughout the country. Many of the newly displaced are living without adequate shelter and enduring severe weather during the monsoon season.
“The vast majority of the newly displaced are living in jungles, open fields or makeshift shelters. Since the monsoon has started, many displaced men, women and children are enduring severe weather with heavy rains, strong winds and flooding,” the report said.
In many different parts of Myanmar, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and people's defense forces (PDFs) have been on the offensive against the junta since October 2023. According to the UN, this escalation is the largest and most geographically widespread since the military took power in 2021.
The ongoing escalation of conflict in the Southeast Asian nation - including the worst levels of violence since 2021 - is severely affecting people in almost every corner of the country. Armed conflict has expanded to many parts of the country, particularly in Rakhine State, the Northwest, Kachin and the Southeast.
The country is experiencing a critical period in its more than three-year post-coup conflict, with non-state armed groups gaining significant territory and launching unprecedented attacks against the Myanmar military junta.
Civilians are bearing the brunt of the ongoing fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and non-state armed groups, with deadly aerial bombardments and heavy shelling, including in residential areas. The humanitarian situation in Rakhine State is particularly alarming as fighting intensifies and intercommunal tensions simmer.
Intense fighting in Rakhine has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in recent months. The renewed conflict between the MAF and the ethnic armed organization Arakan Army (AA) has lasted for more than seven months, with fighting continuing in both the northern and southern parts of the state.
In today's report, OCHA said that in the state capital, Sittwe, there are growing concerns for the protection of civilians, with reports of newly planted mines, forced evictions and mass arrests around the city.
In northern Rakhine, the AA's capture of Buthidaung Township in May resulted in the displacement of an estimated 70,000 people. The armed group has expanded its offensive into Maungdaw Township, and the military has ordered people to leave the town by June 26. Clashes in Maungdaw are reported to be taking place closer to the town.
Since last November, the resumption of conflict has displaced an estimated 310,000 people in Rakhine and Paletwa Township in neighboring Chin. Adding to those already displaced, this brings the total estimated displacement in Rakhine to well over 510,000 people.
OCHA warned that more than half a year after renewed fighting, displaced and conflict-affected people across Rakhine are facing rising food prices in the most affected markets and widespread shortages of essential household items, including medicines and hygiene kits.
The closure of roads and waterways continues to hamper humanitarian operations, affecting the movement of supplies both within and outside the state.
While Rakhine has seen fierce fighting and the worst displacement since October last year, clashes between ethnic armed organizations and the Myanmar Army have affected large parts of the country, including Kachin State and northern Shan State, as well as several other states and regions.
The UN Humanitarian Office said that in Kachin, clashes have intensified in several townships and are estimated to have reached within six miles of the state capital, Myitkyina, with large numbers of people reportedly displaced.
Meanwhile, in northern Shan, the temporary ceasefire agreement between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Three Brothers Alliance is no longer holding, and clashes resumed in several townships during the last week of June.
In the Northwest, the protection of civilians remains a serious concern, with frequent reports of casualties from the heavy use of aerial bombardment, artillery shelling, landmines, and other military operations in Chin, Magway, Sagaing, and Mandalay.
Nearly 1.6 million people are displaced in the Northwest, more than half of the total displaced nationwide. Since the end of May, an estimated 40,000 people have been newly displaced throughout the northwest.
Ongoing conflict in the Southeast also raises fears for civilian safety. The humanitarian situation in the Southeast continues to deteriorate amid ongoing conflict in several states and regions.
OCHA warned that recent attacks and occupations of humanitarian facilities in Rakhine and other parts of the country are increasing risks for both humanitarian workers and the communities they serve.
In northern Rakhine, for example, a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse storing nearly 1,200 tons of life-saving food and supplies in Maungdaw Township was looted and set on fire last week. In a statement, WFP condemned the violence and reported that it had been unable to access the warehouse since late May due to ongoing armed clashes.
On Thursday, the non-governmental organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) said it had suspended medical activities in three townships in northern Rakhine, citing the deteriorating security situation.
At the same time, humanitarian operations in the country are critically underfunded.
“Six months into the year, the $994 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Myanmar is only 12 percent funded, with about $123 million in the bank. We urgently need more resources to restore funding and support operations,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, briefing reporters in New York today.
Despite humanitarian access constraints and funding shortfalls, humanitarian agencies reached nearly 950,000 people with life-saving assistance across the country in the first quarter of 2024. However, this is less than 20 percent of the 5.3 million people targeted for assistance this year.
OCHA warned that without an urgent infusion of funds, aid agencies will soon be forced to make impossible choices about cutting planned assistance.
In Myanmar, 18.6 million women, children and men are in need of humanitarian assistance - the fifth-largest number in the world. Among those in need are 6 million children. Despite soaring needs, access restrictions remain severe.
Hunger is on the rise throughout the country. In 2024, some 12.9 million people - nearly 25 percent of the population - are projected to be food insecure, with an increased risk of malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women.
The health system is in disarray and basic medicines are running out. This year alone, an estimated 12 million people in Myanmar will need emergency health assistance.
People are fleeing their homes in record numbers amid widespread conflict across much of the country. Of the more than 3.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), at least 2.8 million have fled as a result of conflict and insecurity since the military takeover. It is estimated that one-third of those now displaced are children.
Further information
Full text: Myanmar Humanitarian Update No. 39, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, published July 1, 2024
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-update-no-39-1-july-2024