On March 28, Myanmar was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake of 7.7 of 7.7 so serious that important tremors were felt in Bangkok, Thailand, more than 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. This shock comes in the middle of an in progress civil war, and as parts of the country are always recovering from a cyclone which struck in 2023. This recent disaster has only increased the vulnerability of local communities.
Although the support systems are nonexistent, the military junta only slows down humanitarian efforts with their aid blocking, its limited communications and their imposed curfew. As of April 3, the death toll reached 3,085, with at least 4,715 injured and 341 missing, according to the conservative personalities of the Junta. Thousands of others sleep in the street and lack basic necessities.
As if the situation could not get worse, the Myanmar army launched a series of air strikes in various parts of the country, only more traumatizing local communities. From March 28 to the present, DVB News reports that the Junta launched more than 40 air and artization strikes across Myanmar, causing at least 12 deaths. The army clearly indicated where its priorities are – and they are not with the people. Instead, the generals seem to put themselves in capitalization on the disaster and use it as an opportunity to beat their opponents in submission at a vulnerable moment.
After the disaster, the government of national unit launched an urgent appeal to a two-week ceasefire on March 29 to facilitate humanitarian response efforts. On April 1, this call was reinforced by the Three Brotherhood Alliance of Ethnic Armed Group, which declared a temporary cessation of hostilities to allow rescue operations and the delivery of critical aid to the communities affected by the earthquake. On April 2, almost a week after the earthquake, the military junta finally announced a cease-fire. However, this declaration is welcomed a significant skepticism. Many rescue organizations and local communities remain suspicious that air strikes could temporarily cease the ravaged central regions of the earthquake of sagaing and mandalay, military operations could continue tirelessly in other parts of the country.
Rather than spending their time and energy in research and rescue teams for trapped civilians or to provide essential humanitarian aid, the generals have again chosen violence. On April 1, soldiers of the junta shot a convoy of the Chinese Red Cross which was escorted by the national liberation army of Ta’ang in the east of Shan State on the way to Mandalay. The soldiers who do not do much to coordinate research and rescue efforts, civilians rather relied on each other for life help. Local communities had to use manual tools, including their bare hands, to lift rubble and save trapped survivors.
While the international community gathers to provide help, organizations must ensure that this support directly reaches civilians affected on the ground. Financial and material assistance sent to the junta risks being used by the military for its own gain and / or further perpetuate violence against civilians. In a declaration of March 28, the American campaign for Burma stressed that the military has historically proven themselves as incapable of distributing effective humanitarian aid and without discrimination during natural disasters.
The current prevention of the military junta of myanmar of international humanitarian aid to victims of earthquakes in Sagaing reflects their deadly manual of the Nargis cyclone in 2008, when they blocked critical rescue efforts while thousands of people perished. These two disasters highlight the way in which the regime prioritizes the maintenance of its control over the rescue of civil life by deliberately arising natural disasters against its own people. By restricting access to the first 72 crucial hours – when most lives could have been saved – and forcing aid through military channels, the junta deliberately delayed rescue operations after the two disasters.
This delay calculated during the “gold window” for survival served their strategic interests to punish the bastions of the resistance, to force the conformity of the desperate survivors and to reaffirm control of the disputed regions. The scheme reveals how the regime systematically transforms disasters into oppression possibilities, using human suffering as a tool while thousands of trapped victims perish intimately under their corrupt humanitarian response.
Efficient channels should be established with local field organizations, which are the most aware of the situation and know how to reach the affected areas. For years, even before this disaster, these local actors have managed to provide help to the most in need, even in fields considered to be “inaccessible” by the junta.
Foreign governments and international organizations must categorically reject the military junta’s request to control the distribution of aid and establish direct financing mechanisms with local actors, such as community organizations and civil society organizations which directly support the areas affected by the earthquake. The international community must also apply sanctions against military regime leaders for hampering the emergency aid response. In addition, world leaders must demand the immediate cessation of air strikes and military operations, especially in the regions affected by earthquakes.
This earthquake has once again revealed the fact that the military junta is not only unable to govern Myanmar, but actively works against the survival of its own citizens. It was not by going around this illegitimate regime and working directly with the resilient civil society of Myanmar, an effective humanitarian aid to reach those who fight to survive both a natural disaster and an artificial tyranny.