Meanwhile, Myanmar faces the ongoing response to a catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck in May. This preventable tragedy has resulted in more than 2,700 fatalities and tens of thousands of serious injuries. As Michael Dunford, the Myanmar director for the United Nations World Food Programme, told NPR, the disaster occurred only days ago. Adding insult to injury, ongoing tremors have compounded the situation. Recently, he testified that people continue to die as a result of these secondary tremors.
As the humanitarian crisis escalated, a team of Chinese rescuers jumped into action immediately. They were even able to rescue four people from the remains, including a 5-year-old girl and a pregnant woman. This international rescue reinforces the stark reality that communities are still desperately trying to recover from this disaster that unfolded in real-time.
The situation on the ground born from this earthquake has rocked the country to its core. After four years of civil war, millions are now living with the lack of proper shelter and the health infrastructure and means of communication decimated. The Myanmar military junta, which seized power from the democratically elected government in 2021, has reaffirmed its commitment to allowing assistance despite criticism from rights groups regarding restricted access to some affected areas.
This means that the junta needs to stop its awful history of doing the opposite. They must guarantee that humanitarian assistance quickly reaches vulnerable people in areas affected by the earthquake,” stated Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Humanitarian workers have long since sounded the alarm that decades of chronic underfunding have left the country woefully unprepared to handle such emergencies.
Today, Myanmar is not a top global emergency, and over the last several years the humanitarian response has been chronically underfunded. According to reports, only 5% of the required $1.1 billion for the Humanitarian Response Plan has been received so far this year.
In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-most populous city, two hotels crumbled. This came when residents were allowed to return just days after the earthquake, raising invaluable concerns of safety and building integrity. Dunford spoke with youth, who told him that a large number of their peers are still outside—even if that means sleeping in parks or on the streets. Anxiety about going back to their residential areas. This reality makes it difficult to get critical assistance to people who need it most.
In a positive step, in a significant move, one of Myanmar’s largest rebel alliances announced a short-term ceasefire to allow for search and rescue operations. This step is a significant recognition of the need for collaboration among all forces within the country at this critical hour.
Guo Jiakun, the spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry, has indeed seen the good news. We’re making an impact Emergency relief supplies from the Red Cross Society of China en route to affected areas in Mandalay! Tensions are still surging in Myanmar. Myanmar military guards fired warning shots over the convoy, hoping to stop a Chinese Red Cross aid convoy carrying humanitarian assistance through an area wracked by fighting between Myanmar military and opposition People’s Defense Force rebel forces, junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said. There was no stopping, that’s why the security team shot in the air like three times. After that, they turned back.
Hope is on the horizon as rescue efforts are continuing in full swing. Marcoluigi Corsi, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar, is urging the global community to step up assistance to millions of people in need. Speakers from The Three Brotherhood Alliance underscored the need for humanitarian emergency rescue efforts immediately. They are now calling for urgent and impactful action to help them serve the millions of people affected by the earthquake.
Sadly, with aftershocks still threatening the area, Dunford warned that “with these secondary quakes, deaths are still happening. The outlook is still grim. Myanmar sees itself at the confluence of a political crisis and battle with a natural disaster.
