EU urged not to channel aid for over 1.2 million flood victims through Myanmar junta
Maung Khet Nway for Mizzima
The Sagaing Region Strikers’ Force sent an open letter on 24 August, demanding that the €10.5 million in humanitarian aid to be provided by the European Union (EU) for over 1.2 million flood-affected people in Sagaing Region not be channelled through the Myanmar military junta.
The open letter was jointly submitted to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Maciej Popowski, by a coalition of 43 alliance groups, including strike committees and student unions in Sagaing Region.
According to the letter, on 5 August, the military junta released water from the Thaphan Seik and Kabo dams without prior warning, causing severe flooding that affected over 1.2 million residents across 11 townships, including Kantbalu, Kawlin, Khin-U, Ye-U, and Depayin.
Furthermore, the strike coalition pointed out that the military junta has carried out airstrikes targeting flood rescue operations, arrested aid workers, confiscated medicine and food supplies at the Sagaing Bridge checkpoint, and targeted flood-hit areas with helicopters and kamikaze drones.
Ko Shin Thant, a member of the Emergency Disaster Response Team of the Sagaing Region Strikers’ Force, told Mizzima: “First and foremost, we warmly welcome and appreciate the EU’s assistance for the people of Myanmar. However, if this aid is delivered through the wrong channels, it could lead to even greater difficulties. For instance, as we have stated, if it is channelled through the military junta, it will not reach the public and will likely benefit only to the military.”
To ensure the effectiveness of the upcoming funds, the strike coalition urged the EU not to distribute the aid through the military junta, but instead to collaborate with the National Unity Government (NUG), the Sagaing Federal Unit Interim Government, and local civil society organizations (CSOs) through cross-border channels.
“Channelling aid through alternative routes – such as the National Unity Government, which is genuinely elected by our people, the Federal Unit governments, and trusted local organizations – is what will truly benefit the public. This is how effective assistance can genuinely reach the hands of the suffering population,” Ko Shin Thant added.
The European Union (EU) announced on August 13 that it would allocate an additional €10.5 million in humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
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