ACAPS Myanmar Situation Report

 ACAPS Myanmar Situation Report

#Myanmar: needs of 600,000 IDPs in Sagaing - out of 1.5M in the country

OVERVIEW

18/08/2022

The humanitarian situation in Myanmar is driven by longstanding localised conflicts between Myanmar’s armed forces (the Tatmadaw) and various insurgent groups, including militias and ethnic armed organisations. The ethnically diverse population of Myanmar has been under military rule from 1962 until 2011, and the military has since shared power with the government as per the 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, the Tatmadaw staged a military coup, declaring fraud in the November 2020 multiparty general election won by the National League for Democracy. Around 695,000 people have been internally displaced in Myanmar since the coup. 14.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2022. The total number of IDPs is more than 1 million in the country and more than a million have been displaced to Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand.?

Protection is a key concern across Myanmar as armed conflict and violations of international humanitarian law by the Tatmadaw and armed groups continue to affect civilians. Access to basic services is limited and livelihoods are threatened by conflict and lack of economic opportunities, particularly for the stateless Rohingya in Rakhine and for IDPs living in non-government controlled areas in northern Shan.?

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

07/07/2022

EXTREME CONSTRAINTS

Myanmar faced Extreme humanitarian access constraints in the past six months, scoring 5/5 in ACAPS Humanitarian Access Index. The humanitarian access situation has been deteriorating mainly due to significant rise of violence and insecurity, bureaucratic and administrative constraints for both people in need and humanitarian workers, and imposition of roadblocks and checkpoints and telecommunications cut-off. There also has been a rise in attacks on public infrastructure. 

For more information you can consult our latest Global Humanitarian Access Overview – July 2022. 

KEY CONCERNS

22/09/2021

Protection: All states affected by conflict experience armed clashes and landmine contamination. Human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, extortion, and torture, threaten the safety of civilians.?

WASH: IDPs have limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Both the March–May dry season and the May–September monsoon season increase the reliance of IDPs on contaminated water, elevating the risk of waterborne diseases.?

Food security: Escalation of conflict has resulted in reduced levels of food security and limited economic and physical access to food. Subsistence farming and casual labour continue to be the main sources of income for most households, with movement restrictions substantially limiting economic access to food. The monsoon season further reduces food stocks and impacts crop yields.?

Health: Limited access to healthcare, and reliance on humanitarian support to provide health services, remains a key priority in response across Myanmar. Mental health and psychosocial assistance for those affected by armed conflict is required, as well as improving the provision of reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare.?

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

14/12/2022

The number of IDPs in Myanmar has reached almost 1.5 million; over 1.1 million of them were displaced because of post-coup conflict. The Sagaing region alone hosts around 600,000 IDPs. Displacement in the region is driven by fighting between the Myanmar military and armed groups, arson attacks on civilian buildings (at least 27,000 houses have been burnt so far), and airstrikes. More than 40% of the countrywide fatalities this year have been reported in the Sagaing region. Many IDPs in Sagaing are living without proper shelter and need food, clothing, blankets, and medicines. There is also a lack of supply of micronutrient supplements and anthropometric measurement tools for nutrition assessments. Widespread violence and access restrictions, including burdensome bureaucratic processes, systematic blocks on access approvals, communications cut-offs, and violence against humanitarian personnel, have restricted access of humanitarians to people in need in Sagaing. Armed conflict is expected to rise in the coming winter months, which could lead to more displacements and fatalities. ?

14/12/2022

As at October, around 1,970 Rohingyas have been arrested in Myanmar in 2022 according to media reports. This is already more than double the number recorded in 2021. They have been arrested for not adhering to movement restrictions by travelling beyond states’ or townships' boundaries where they live. Poor socio-economic conditions, heightened insecurity and access restrictions, and increase in exploitative migration have likely pushed many Rohingyas to travel trying to reach other countries. ?

Source: ACAPS, ARAC data source partner.

URL: https://www.acaps.org/country/myanmar/crisis/country-level