{"id":28790,"date":"2026-03-15T08:04:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T06:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=28790"},"modified":"2026-03-15T08:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T06:04:35","slug":"myanmar-crisis-deepens-as-un-expert-warns-international-resolve-is-weakening","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/myanmar-crisis-deepens-as-un-expert-warns-international-resolve-is-weakening\/","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar crisis deepens as UN expert warns international resolve is weakening"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Presenting his final report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, outgoing Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews urged governments not to abandon the Myanmar people at their moment of greatest need.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">\u201cThe current geopolitical climate is less than conducive to advancing human rights in Myanmar and beyond,\u201d Andrews told the Council. \u201cThe UN and the principles on which it was founded more than 80 years ago are under severe strain.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Andrews, who serves independently and is not a UN staff member, said the military\u2019s escalating campaign of airstrikes, ground assaults and forced displacement continues to devastate civilians. He warned that shrinking humanitarian funding and diminishing political pressure on the junta could have grave consequences.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cActions by the international community to weaken the military junta\u2019s ability to sustain itself and its attacks on the people of Myanmar have shown promise. Alarmingly, however, there are signs that the resolve of governments is waning,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the civilian government on February 1, 2021, detaining President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered nationwide protests and the emergence of armed resistance groups that now control large parts of the country.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Violence against civilians has escalated dramatically. In 2021, there were nine recorded airstrikes on civilian areas. Last year, that number had surged to 1 140. More than 100 000 homes have been destroyed, while the military\u2019s use of landmines has left communities in constant fear.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that nearly one\u2011third of Myanmar\u2019s population now requires assistance. More than 12 million face acute hunger, and 3.6 million people have been displaced across regions including Sagaing, Magway, Chin, Bago and Kayin.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Civilian casualties continue to rise. The UN human rights office recorded at least 982 civilians killed in airstrikes attributed to Myanmar\u2019s armed forces in 2025, a 53% increase on the previous year, including 287 children. In Rakhine State alone, aerial bombardments killed more than 190 people and destroyed homes, clinics and displacement camps.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>As Andrews concluded his mandate, he urged member states to renew diplomatic, economic and humanitarian pressure, stressing that the people of Myanmar \u201ccannot afford for the world to look away\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8211;UN\/ChnnelAfrica&#8211;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28791,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-28790","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"More than five years after Myanmar\u2019s military seized power, an independent United Nations (UN) human rights expert has warned that international resolve to hold the junta accountable is fading, even as violence intensifies and humanitarian needs reach unprecedented levels.\u00a0","published_date":"","news_description":"More than five years after Myanmar\u2019s military seized power, an independent United Nations (UN) human rights expert has warned that international resolve to hold the junta accountable is fading, even as violence intensifies and humanitarian needs reach unprecedented levels.\u00a0","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28792,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28790\/revisions\/28792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=28790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}