Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International called on the military junta of Myanmar to facilitate relief efforts and join opposition groups in a partial ceasefire on Tuesday.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand last Friday, devastating the Sagaing region. The official death toll is at 2,065 although experts warn the number could be far higher and will climb significantly without immediate humanitarian intervention. The Myanmar government has requested international assistance but continues to limit relief efforts. The nationwide curfew implemented during COVID-19 remains in place and the government has continued to launch airstrikes against civilian targets in areas affected by the earthquake. Media blackouts and unreliable official accounts make a full picture of the disaster difficult to discern.
Myanmar has been in a civil war since 2021 when the armed forces of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, overthrew the democratically elected government in a coup d’état. Since the earthquake, resistance groups including the government-in-exile, the National Unity Government, announced a partial unilateral ceasefire to allow relief efforts to proceed unhindered. However, junta leader President Min Aung Hlaing announced that he would continue attacks regardless of the ceasefire or earthquake.
The junta government has faced significant criticism for their rampant corruption and mismanagement of aid following previous natural disasters. In the aftermath of both the Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and Cyclone Mocha in 2023, the junta government refused to issue travel visas to international aid workers and kept essential supplies locked in warehouses.
HRW urges the junta to respect international law and allow aid, and for any donations to be funneled through independent, local aid groups instead of the government.