Mizzima Editorial
Humanitarian organizations are voicing concern that the Myanmar crisis is worsening through a combination of increased violence, communal tension, and the seasonal storms and heavy rain.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) released its latest humanitarian update last week covering the period until 22 May 2024. As they note, the humanitarian crisis has entered a dangerous new chapter with entrenched conflict posing grave risks to civilians, stirring a worrying resurgence of inter-communal tension and driving record levels of displacement.
The humanitarian situation in Rakhine State is particularly alarming with fighting intensifying and intercommunal tensions simmering. Access restrictions remain severe despite soaring needs. With the peak of the dry season, water scarcity and cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) have been widely reported while an estimated 1.6 million people are now estimated to be without access to hospital care in central and northern Rakhine. Close to 3 million people remain displaced nationwide due to war.
In Kayin State, an intense battle for control of the key border trading town of Myawaddy resulted in both internal displacement and fluid cross-border population movement. An estimated 4,000 people from Myawaddy Town and the surrounding areas remain displaced along the Myanmar-Thai border.
As the volatile monsoon season approaches, strong winds and heavy rain have already hit several townships in Chin State, Magway, Sagaing, and northern Shan State in recent months, causing damage and destruction to civilian properties and other structures.
UNOCHA claims that despite these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to deliver assistance to people in need, reaching almost 1 million people during the first quarter of 2024 despite gross underfunding.
But they note that they 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) remains alarmingly under-resourced, with only 10 percent of required funding received, according to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). This is despite the deepening needs, the surge in new displacement, and soaring inflation that have further stretched the grossly insufficient resources across clusters.
Compounding all these problems, it is clear the Myanmar junta is stepping up their war against the people, with an uptick in military attacks including air strikes and artillery barrages against villages and civilians. In addition, the military conscription drive has seen many young men forcibly taken to fight in the army, and the flight of many to escape to the hills or abroad, primarily to Thailand and South Korea.
