ReliefWeb

Introduction

Myanmar faces multiple ongoing conflicts between the military and ethnic armed groups, marked by widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws, causing substantial humanitarian needs. More than 336,000 people, displaced by conflict, currently live in camps in Kachin, Shan, Rakhine, Chin, and Kayin states, with limited access to basic services. International aid organisations struggle to assist those in need due to the access restrictions in several areas. Recurrent natural hazards also increase the vulnerability of residents in disaster-prone areas.

What are the needs?

The United Nations estimates that more than 945,000 people in the country require humanitarian assistance, including those displaced in the conflict-torn states of Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan. Violence in northern Rakhine, which started on 25 August 2017, has forced more than 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh. Approximately 600,000 stateless Rohingyas remain in Rakhine state, 126,000 of whom have been confined to camps and deprived of basic rights, including freedom of movement and access to livelihoods since 2012.

Restricted access to large parts of Rakhine state poses a significant challenge and has severely hampered the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid in the area.

Furthermore, the fighting between Myanmar Army and Arakan Army, an armed group in Rakhine, has resulted in the displacement of more than 100,000 non-Rohingya populations in Rakhine and Chin states since December 2018.

In Kachin, Kayin and Shan states, prolonged armed conflicts have also taken a heavy toll on the local population. To date, more than 106,000 people are still displaced following clashes between armed groups and security forces. Limited humanitarian access severely restricts humanitarian operations particularly in areas beyond government control.