Myanmar crisis deepens five years after coup, as military ballot entrenches repression

Vibhu Mishra for UN News

Five years after Myanmar’s military seized power and jailed the country’s elected leaders, the United Nations says the country’s crisis has only deepened, marked by escalating violence, mass displacement and a military-controlled election that U.N. officials warn has further entrenched repression rather than restored civilian rule.

The people of Myanmar continue to suffer amid “widespread violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” as the cycle of impunity persists, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement, on Friday, marking the anniversary.

“The suffering of the people of Myanmar has deepened,” Farhan Haq, the U.N. Deputy Spokesperson, said, pointing to escalating military airstrikes hitting civilians, acute food insecurity and nearly 5.2 million people displaced, both inside the country and across borders.

The Secretary-General, he added, remains “deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation” and its serious regional repercussions, including rising transnational crime, economic volatility and soaring humanitarian needs.

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