Myanmar's suffering worsens amid impending global aid cuts

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Aid cuts in Myanmar will only gravely worsen the nation's already devastating humanitarian crisis, suggested a recent article by UCA News.

After the coup four years ago, and with the oppression by the military junta, nearly 20 million people in the country require humanitarian assistance.

With armed conflict having become the new normal throughout much of the country under the militants' control, food prices are soaring and a UN forecast suggests that a third of the nation's inhabitants face food insecurity.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens have faced atrocities under the junta's control, including murder, torture, and rape, as well as bombings, looting and destruction of properties, including homes and churches.

According to UN studies, the junta has destroyed agricultural equipment and contaminated farmland with landmines and unexploded ordinance, "exacerbating challenges for local food production.” Other agencies highlight that due to the massive displacement of people, there is a shortage of workers in areas where land may exist.

In fact, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned that more than one million people in Myanmar face being cut off from food aid due to the budget cuts.

Since US President Trump's executive order on 20 January paused foreign aid, organizations, including Amnesty International, state the various programmes were immediately ended and hospitals in refugee camps abruptly shut down.

Since the already-taken and potential aid cuts take place amid worsening conflict and displacement, WFP's Myanmar representative, Michael Dunford, insists the tightening of purse strings will hit hardest the most vulnerable, including women, children, the displaced and the disabled.

(Sources: UCA News, UN Agencies)