In Burma, famine and diseases make the UN fear “mass deaths”

Published on : 06/09/2021 – 15:05

The UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma warned on Wednesday June 9 that hunger and disease risk causing “mass deaths” after the fighting in the east of this country plunged into chaos since the military coup of 1^er February.

In eastern Myanmar, in Kayah state near the Thai border, fighting has intensified in recent weeks. Residents accused the army of firing artillery shells that fell near villages.

The UN office in Burma estimated Tuesday that around 100,000 people had been displaced by the new fighting. He said there is an “urgent need” for food, water and shelter as movement restrictions imposed by security forces delay the delivery of much-needed aid.

“The brutal and indiscriminate attacks by the junta threaten the lives of several thousand men, women and children in Kayah state,” UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted on Tuesday. “Many were forced to escape into the surrounding forests, without food or water or shelter. “

“Mass deaths from starvation, disease and risk, on a scale that we have not yet experienced (…), could occur in Kayah State without immediate action.”

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Burma has been in turmoil and its economy paralyzed since the military coup of 1^er February. The brutal repression of any protest has killed more than 800 people, according to a local NGO which lists the victims.

Clashes erupted in several parts of the country and residents sometimes formed their own “defense forces”, particularly in areas severely hit by repression.

Unsuccessful diplomacy

In China, a traditional ally of the Burmese generals, Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated on Tuesday that Beijing’s policy towards its neighbor “is not affected by changes in the internal and external situation of Burma”.

“China has supported, supports and will support Burma to choose a development path that suits it,” added Wang Yi during a meeting in Chongqing with Wunna Maung Lwin, the Burmese Foreign Minister appointed by the junta.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has embarked on diplomatic efforts to try to resolve the crisis, but infighting within that organization has failed to make progress.

With AFP