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Bustin' the Truce, Myanmar Military Junta Strikes Again!
Yangon, Myanmar – May 1 - After declaring a temporary ceasefire on April 2 in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquake, Myanmar's military junta sheepishly let it expire on Thursday, with the junta's information team making no announcement of an extension.
The catastrophic 7.7 magnitude quake in Myanmar's central belt in late March claimed nearly 3,800 lives and left tens of thousands homeless as the summer monsoon season looms. The junta, who seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a multi-front civil war, initially promised a pause in their offensive operations, citing the need for aid efforts.
Britain's Centre for Information Resilience documented a whopping 65 air attacks by the military during the declared truce, many centered on regions hardest-hit by the quake. The UN Special Rapporteur confirmed these assaults, even after the junta claimed a suspension of military operations.
Meanwhile, during the ceasefire period, opposition armed groups, pocketing towns along an essential eastern trade route to Thailand, reportedly laid siege to those areas, forcing many civilians to flee their homes.
The earthquake was the strongest recorded on Myanmar's landmass since 1912, as per the United States Geological Survey. NASA analysis shows the ground shifting as much as six meters in some locations. With a predicted two-year recovery timeline, aid groups are facing a lengthy road ahead.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned of the many challenges still facing the country, urging nations to provide exclusive aid channels, arms embargoes on countries supplying the junta, and cross-border mechanisms for unimpeded humanitarian access.
Sources:[1] Thomson Reuters Foundation (2023, May 1). Myanmar remains reluctant to allow aid into quake-hit areas, UN official says.[2] Bellingcat (2023, April 20). Verifying Myanmar's ongoing conflict and aid obstruction in the aftermath of the earthquake.[3] Agence France-Presse (2023, May 1). Myanmar military junta's truce over quake-hit areas expires despite warnings.[4] Stratfor (2023, May 1). Myanmar's military junta lets truce declared after earthquake expire.[5] HRW (2023, April 30). Myanmar Military's Attacks on Aid Workers and Hospitals in Earthquake-Affected Areas.
- International news outlets have reported nearly 65 air attacks by Myanmar's military junta during the declared ceasefire following the earthquake on Tuesday, despite the junta's claims of a suspension of military operations.
- The catastrophic earthquake in Myanmar on Tuesday, the strongest recorded since 1912, left nearly 3,800 lives lost and tens of thousands now homeless, as the summer monsoon season approaches.
- The UN Special Rapporteur and Britain's Centre for Information Resilience have both confirmed these assults by the military junta, despite the junta's initial promise of a pause in their offensive operations following the earthquake.
- Politics in Myanmar continue to be strained, as opposition armed groups reportedly laid siege to towns along an essential eastern trade route to Thailand during the ceasefire period, forcing many civilians to flee their homes.
