Amidst the political fog that has sequined the globe in recent years, the ongoing civil war in Myanmar has largely been overshadowed. Many observers around the world may not even know the extent of this bloody conflict, as children, women, and men alike continue to fall victim to the human rights’ atrocities arbitrarily committed by both state and non-state actors. The bone-rattling yet largely overlooked conflict has steered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis as civilians continually become hapless pawns in this political chess game.
The Myanmar Civil War spans numerous armed conflicts within the borders of the Southeast Asian nation. It involves scattered militias, drug traffickers, jade miners, powerful foreign corporate forces, and the National Armed Forces’ oppression, often indiscriminate, against civilian masses seeking no more than peace.
The international community’s unwavering focus on humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, and other globally attention-catching conflicts often overlooks the ongoing nondiscriminatory violence in Myanmar. There are skyrocketing numbers of unjustifiable deaths, not less brutal, grotesque, or countless than other conflicts, and they amass serious attention.
Estimates speak volumes about the toll on innocent lives, with internally displaced persons numbering in hundreds of thousands scattered mainly in Shan, Kachin, Karen, and Rakhine states. The already grim situation was significantly worsened as Myanmar’s military junta overthrew the democratically elected government in the February 2021 coup d’état. It marked a robust comeback to full executive, judiciary and legislative powers after a five-year democratic interlude, a tenure that didn’t mark the end of the civil war but somewhat managed to mitigate it.
A humanitarian catastrophe lurks in its wake, as food, healthcare, shelter, and satisfactory living conditions fall lower than the bare minimum standard for hundreds of thousands. Heavily land-mined areas have inhibited the return of displaced citizens and put potential returnees at fatally high risk. The constant threat of violence, coupled with limited access to resources, has aggravated living conditions for already vulnerable populations.
Public services like education and healthcare are draining rapidly, with schools and hospitals becoming rare commodities, even in state-controlled territory. In Rohingya camps, poor sanitation and lack of healthcare access exacerbate a precarious situation. Extreme weather conditions, including cyclones and flooding, further contribute to this mounting crisis in Rakhine, adding to a man-made disaster fueled by dire economic straits.
Families torn apart, communities ravaged, and hope slipping away each passing day: the prospect of losing an entire generation to combat shouldn’t be taken lightly. Myanmar’s civil war perpetuates a vicious cycle of violence, displacement, and appalling misery, calling for an urgent humanitarian response. International actors and aid organizations must work immediately and tirelessly to ensure the collective efforts aimed towards not only providing necessary humanitarian aid but also curbing these critical violations of human rights.
The Myanmar civil war, albeit not being cycled to a headway, stands, in essence, a dark testament to modern civilization’s failure, re-bolded at us in the murkiest spectrum imaginable. Global governance, seemingly oblivious to this dystopian belly of Southeast Asia, must adhere now more than ever to humanitarian obligation over political leverage, pushing aside any callous quests for vested national interests.
It is long overdue for the international community to end its deafening silence on the Myanmar crisis. The time has come for the world to step into the spotlight and lend voices to those silenced by conflict. The hushed cry from Myanmar warrants an international response, and it is time to act beyond barely trying.
