UN: 90K People Displaced by Myanmar Conflict

Facts

• An update by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday stated that approximately 90K individuals have been displaced in Myanmar due to the conflict between the state and ethnic armed rebel groups.¹
• In northern Shan, fighting between what the UN described as 'Ethnic Armed Organizations' and the Myanmar Armed Forces has displaced nearly 50K since Oct. 26. This comes as, according to the UN, only 28% of the required $887M Humanitarian Response Plan and Cyclone Mocha Flash Appeals has been received.²
• Clashes between the Three Brotherhood Alliance — which includes the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — have reportedly displaced a further 40K people in the Sagaing region and the state of Kachin since early November.³
• The alliance began a new assault in the Kokang region of northern Shan on Oct. 27, a region in which Myanmar's military junta took power following a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, pushing the country into a deep political, social, and economic crisis.⁴
• Myanmar's Shan state sits next to China's eastern border, with Beijing confirming Chinese casualties as a result of the conflict on Tuesday this week. China did not reveal whether the casualties were deaths or injuries or the precise location of the events.⁵
• OCHA also claimed that outside of the town of Lashio in Shan, internet and phone services have been disrupted, obstructing humanitarian responses to the conflict. According to the leader of the junta, the country could be 'split into various parts' if the military government is unable to 'manage' ongoing fighting in the state.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²OCHA, ³Independent, ⁴EFE Noticias, ⁵CNA and ⁶France 24.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Firstpost. The junta isn't only losing ground but losing it in economically essential regions of the country while also weakening ties with China. Facing fierce pushback from the Brotherhood Alliance, the junta now risks losing key cross-border trade locations, which make up 40% of cross-border trade and a crucial source of tax revenue. The military regime has never been this weak, which is why the junta's leader has said he may have to concede certain regions to the freedom fighters.
• Narrative B, as provided by Global New Light of Myanmar. The actions of those who engage in conflict, claiming to achieve peace, often only cause harm to innocent lives. Those seeking war with Myanmar must acknowledge the damage that they continue to cause and look rather towards impartial and bilateral processes towards national unity and a ceasefire. Both the rebel factions and their global backers should focus on diplomatic solutions with the military government rather than propping up this unnecessary war.