A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28 has killed more than 3,000 people in a country already ravaged by armed conflict after the military seized power in 2021.
The diplomatically isolated junta has made a rare plea for international help, as has the National Unity Government (NUG), made up of lawmakers in exile following the military coup.
But human rights groups have accused the military of blocking aid after the massive quake that was felt across Southeast Asia in Bangladesh, India, Laos, Thailand and China.
The United Nations has condemned military airstrikes against pro-democracy rebel groups that have continued during the recovery effort.
Here’s what you need to do about rescue and relief efforts in Myanmar.
Which countries are helping Myanmar?
The UN’s Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief agency (OCHA) has said the response to the earthquake in Myanmar “has been hampered by lack of funding.”
The United States, once the world’s top humanitarian donor, has been slow to offer assistance. It has pledged just US$2 million in disaster assistance and offered to send a three-person assessment team.
President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, which responds to overseas disasters, has impaired his government’s ability to respond to the emergency, experts say.
OCHA said its local search and rescue teams were supported by units from several countries including China, India, Russia, Thailand and Bangladesh.
China, which backs Myanmar’s junta government, dispatched relief and rescue teams to Myanmar the day after the earthquake struck. It also promised to donate 100 million yuan (US$13.8 million) worth of emergency humanitarian aid supplies, such as tents, blankets and water.
Britain announced an aid package of up to £10 million (US$13 million) to help Myanmar, and Australia pledged an initial US$2 million for immediate humanitarian relief.
On April 2, Japan sent a team of 32 people, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to Myanmar.
What type of aid is needed by Myanmar?
The quake caused significant damage across the Sagaing and Mandalay regions, toppling buildings, including heritage sites, and public infrastructure, NUG has said.
Aid agencies say water, food, shelter, medical supplies, sanitation and other services are urgently needed in quake-hit areas.
Fernando Thushara, the World Health Organisation’s representative in Myanmar, warned that “hospitals were running dry” and that a lack of fresh water and sanitation could fuel infectious disease outbreaks.
Extreme weather, such as excessive heat and heavy rain brought by the monsoon season, may also complicate support, aid agencies have warned.
How has Myanmar’s conflict worsened the disaster?
UN chief Antonio Guterres said the Myanmar quake “has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing people throughout the country” due to the ongoing conflict between the military and opposition forces.
Before the quake, nearly 20 million people, or one in every three people in Myanmar, already required humanitarian aid due to the civil war, according to the UN.
Guterres said he hoped the disaster could provide an opportunity to end the conflict in Myanmar.
But rights groups including Amnesty International have said the military’s bombing in the days after the disaster hindered relief and recovery efforts.
The junta this week announced a temporary ceasefire in its operations against rebels until April 22, following a unilateral truce by the opposition alliance. But the UN said more than a dozen airstrikes have been conducted since the ceasefire.
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