The U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop called for an immediate ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid into the country following the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28.
“Stop the conflict so that humanitarian workers, search and rescue teams, and those involved in rebuilding and reconstruction have the space to operate safely and securely,” Bishop said on April 9 during a visit to impacted areas in the capital Naypyidaw after meeting with regime Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Swe in a makeshift room outside of a ministry building damaged by the earthquake.
“It’s heartbreaking—families are picking through ruins, entire communities are shattered, and survivors are trying to rebuild their lives from scratch. I was particularly struck by those who have lost their homes but are determined to rebuild amid the rubble,” added Bishop.
A total of 290 regional and international civil society groups urged the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to investigate Bishop for alleged conflicts of interest over her business activities, and to make the findings of this investigation public. Guterres appointed Bishop to the role of Special Envoy on Myanmar April 5, 2024. Bishop has denied all allegations against her.
The U.N. issued an appeal on Thursday for an additional $241.6 million USD in immediate aid to Myanmar. DVB data states that $136 million USD in international aid has been given to Myanmar since the March 28 earthquake.
The U.N. added that an additional two million people are in need since March 28 on top of the 20 million people in Myanmar already requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
The U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that “extreme weather—temperatures reaching 44 [degrees celsius] with heavy, unseasonal rainfall—threatens the health and safety of survivors still living in makeshift shelters.”
In an effort to facilitate earthquake relief, the regime and several ethnic armed groups, including the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—collectively known as the Brotherhood Alliance—as well as the National Unity Government (NUG), along with its People’s Defense Force (PDF), and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), all declared ceasefires this month.
However, fighting has been reported on a daily basis.
The Myanmar Air Force carried out airstrikes that killed nearly 30 civilians, including women and children, in Namkhan village of Wuntho Township, Sagaing Region, on Wednesday.
KIA-led resistance forces, including the PDF, seized Indaw Township in Sagaing Region from regime forces on Wednesday. The Chin resistance seized Falam Township in northern Chinland on Tuesday.
DVB has documented that the regime has carried out 152 air and artillery attacks, which have killed 113 people since March 28. After the regime announced its ceasefire on April 2, at least 90 attacks have been carried out on resistance forces nationwide.
The U.N. reports that over nine million people in Myanmar were affected by the earthquake. DVB data states that the death toll since March 28 has reached 4,346 with 7,830 injured and 210 people still missing.
