(Reuters) – The chief of the United Nations humanitarian relief agency has called on Myanmar’s ruling military to grant greater access to the 18 million people in need of aid, as a post-coup conflict escalates.
Martin Griffiths, returning from a three-day trip that included a meeting with top general Min Aung Hlaing, stated that a shortage of funding is hindering efforts to reach a third of Myanmar’s population requiring assistance.
Following a decade of unprecedented reform under quasi-civilian governments, Myanmar has been trapped in crisis since the military regained control.
The military’s brutal crackdown on dissent sparked the formation of an armed resistance movement, resulting in clashes with security forces across the country and the displacement of over a million individuals.
“Successive crises in Myanmar have left one third of the population in need of humanitarian aid,” Griffiths remarked in a statement. “They expect more and better from their leaders and from the international community.”
According to the U.N. agency, fighting and natural disasters in the aftermath of the 2021 coup have caused the number of displaced people to surge by fivefold, from 380,000 to 1.9 million.
Griffiths highlighted the struggle faced by humanitarian relief organizations due to inadequate resources and urged international donors to increase support, as only 22% of the annual funding requirements had been received by mid-year.
He also pressed the junta to expand access and expressed concern about civilians facing restrictions and bureaucracy, which hinder the assistance provided by aid groups.
After several investigations that accused the military of atrocities against civilians, the junta shares a strained relationship with the United Nations, rejecting the allegations.
In June, the U.N. Human Rights report stated that the lack of aid access could potentially constitute war crimes, while last week, a team of U.N. investigators emphasized the increasing frequency and audacity of war crimes in Myanmar.
State media reports on the recent visit claimed that the international community “should seek accurate information on Myanmar’s situation”.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Martin Petty)
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