Myanmar’s long isolation and its internal volatility are likely to complicate the worldwide response of humanitarian aid to the earthquake that hit Friday, rather than a rare objection to external aid by the country’s government government.
“We need and want the international community to provide humanitarian aid,” said the military spokesman, General Zaw Min Tun. “We will work with them to ensure the best care for victims.”
Myanmar was cut by the United States and many other western nations in 2021, after the military seized power in a coup and imposed a violent repression. Even before the coup, the country had undergone various sanctions for decades, more recently over organized violence against the roofya minority.
Western sanctions include exhaust for humanitarian aid and the United Nations said on Friday that they were mobilizing help for those in need. But in a country destroyed by the Civil War, the big logistical obstacles remain to get the help of people who need it most.
Michael Martin, non -residents of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the security and security of international workers in achieving the affected areas is an issue.
There is also the risk that the military would prevent workers from reaching employees from reaching the rebels or slowing down assistance, including its reflection to appear as if they were coming from the military rather than international institutions, said Dr. Martin. The army could also prevent relief workers from taking visas or delaying processing times, he added.
And while many international assistance organizations were founded with the principle that helping should not be political, in practice, this is not always possible. The army “may try to direct more help to areas under their control” than areas under control of opposition forces, Dr. Martin said.
When a 7.8 earthquake struck the northwest area of ​​Syria two years ago, under the repressive Bashar Al-Assad repressive regime, small international aid arrived in the area shortly afterwards. Some survivors had to dig through the ruins by hand, as the government limited what went to the opposition areas.
In Myanmar, the army has been repressive for most of the time since 1962. And even in periods of limited liberation, the Armed Forces remained an important political power. For much of this time, the country has limited contacts with the outside world.
Stefan Dercon, a professor of finance at the Blavatnik Government School at the University of Oxford, said another issue could transfer funds to Myanmar, either through banks’ sanctions carried out by officials or other channels and supply supply.
“Humanitarian aid tradition will be very, very complicated,” Dr. Dercon said. “Humanitarian businesses are fundamentally logistical and need cooperation from many people.”
Another issue is the concentration of the necessary funds, he said. Given the isolation of Myanmar from the West, it is unlikely to be a great tail of international, western donors, he said.
Dr. Martin also said it was not clear to what extent the US government would help, given the hostility of Trump’s administration in external aid programs and significant cuts to the US Service for International Development.
