Trump extends ‘national emergency’ declaration for Myanmar

U.S. President Donald Trump has extended by one year the declaration of a “national emergency” in Myanmar, a measure that allows Biden-era sanctions against the military junta to continue.

But the extension, which was announced Thursday, came as human rights groups criticized the Trump administration’s freezing of nearly $40 million in aid for Burmese pro-democracy groups as part of the dismantling of U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a four-year civil war ever since a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, which has pitted various ethnic armies and People’s Defense Force units of civilians who have taken up arms.