The United Nations (UN) has condemned Myanmar’s military for displacing an estimated 100,000 in the east of the country through “indiscriminate attacks” against civilians, forcing people to seek safety in neighboring areas.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Myanmar expressed concern “about the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation” in eastern Kayah State, particularly as the military continues its post-coup crackdown.
Warning of the consequences of the “indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilian areas,” the UNCT estimated that 100,000 men, women and children have been internally displaced from Kayah State alone in recent months. Criticizing the continued violence, the UN warned it could “push people across international borders seeking safety as already seen in other parts of the country.”
Kayah State, as well as the regions of Chin, Kachin, Kayin and Shan, have seen intense fighting, resulting in thousands of people needing urgent humanitarian aid, including essential medicine, food and shelter, according to monitoring groups.
The UNCT’s statement on Tuesday is the latest warning from officials monitoring the situation about the continued displacement of citizens throughout the region, as people flee to other parts of Myanmar and neighboring countries to flee the violent clashes between anti-coup protesters and junta forces which have claimed the lives of more than 800 people in mere months.
Since the military seized control on February 1, detaining Myanmar’s democratically-elected leaders, the UN has been calling for all parties in the region to swiftly act to protect civilians and bring an end to the violence.
The UNCT’s statement came a day after Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Hishammudin Hussein said that progress on the five-point plan to secure peace in Myanmar “is painfully slow.” The remarks, made in a tweet on Monday, added that the international community is now awaiting further action from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over Myanmar enacting the 5-Point Consensus plan to end the violence.
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