The United Nations’ top human rights expert on Myanmar has warned that the country's spiralling humanitarian and rights crises risk becoming “much worse” as global attention and aid dwindle in the face of the war in the Middle East Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on rights in Myanmar, stated that the military junta, which seized power in a coup, is relentlessly continuing to attack civilians and obstruct desperately needed humanitarian aid
In an interview, Andrews cautioned that the conflict in the Middle East could dramatically deepen the crisis in Myanmar, further obscuring it from international view He noted that even before the recent escalation in the Middle East, Myanmar had already been affected by a significant decrease in humanitarian funding “Things are bad. They could get much worse,” said Andrews, a former US congressman who also heads Harvard University's Southeast Asia Human Rights Project
The warning highlights the geopolitical risk that prolonged conflicts face when newer, larger-scale wars dominate international diplomatic and financial resources. For Myanmar, this diversion of focus could exacerbate civilian suffering and further entrench the military regime as it faces less external scrutiny and pressure Andrews's mandate as special rapporteur is scheduled to end next month
Mohsin Rana
