UN rights chief says Myanmar’s people ‘forgotten’ as foreign aid pulls back amid ongoing attacks

Mizzima

A decline in international assistance is compounding the suffering of millions of people in Myanmar as the conflict situation worsens after five years of conflict-related violence, according to a report published by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) on 22 June.

The report covers the period from August 2025 to the end of January 2026 – from the military’s announcement of elections through to the conclusion of the voting period. Credible sources verified a minimum of 702 civilian deaths during the six-month reporting period, mostly in the central regions and Rakhine, the report found. Of these, 476 deaths were due to airstrikes, with 111 deaths, including 43 women and 10 children, occurring before the start of voting in December.

The report detailed serious human rights violations amid ongoing conflict-related violence, lack of respect for the rule of law, denial of humanitarian assistance, and the impact of the military-controlled elections.

At the same time, foreign actors continue to transfer arms, their parts and components, ammunition and munitions, as well as jet fuel and other dual-use items to the Myanmar military, the report said, adding that this risks facilitating violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for humanitarian access to be urgently provided. “As if the people of Myanmar have not suffered enough at the hands of the military, they have now seemingly been forgotten by those outside the country,” Türk said. “Funding for localised protection efforts was in many areas the only solace from the suffering caused by constant targeting and indiscriminate attacks by the military. This pullback just compounds that injury.”

“The international community should hold up a mirror to themselves, and ask: after a decade of grievous suffering, are we going to fail the people of Myanmar yet again? The answer must be no,” Türk said.

Community-based groups, civil society organisations, and local governance systems have had to take on the responsibility of creating and managing their own civilian protection mechanisms across Myanmar, the report said, providing a measure of relief that falls far short of needs.

The decline in international assistance has also led to major cuts, closures, and layoffs across civil society organisations, with ethnic media and women’s organisations disproportionately affected, according to the report. Reductions or suspensions of humanitarian and community-based programmes – a including assistance for displaced people, education programmes, and psychosocial support – have increased the population’s vulnerability, the report said.