The United Nations has accused Myanmar’s military of breaching a temporary ceasefire by carrying out more than 120 attacks following the devastating March 28 earthquake that killed over 3,600 people.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), more than half of the military strikes occurred after April 2 — the date when warring sides had agreed to a temporary truce to allow humanitarian relief in disaster-hit regions.
“This is a time when the sole focus should be on ensuring humanitarian aid gets to disaster zones,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, during a press briefing on Friday. “Yet military forces have continued to conduct operations, including air and artillery strikes, even in quake-affected areas.”
The earthquake’s epicentre was in Myanmar’s Sagaing region — an opposition stronghold where local communities have been left to manage rescue and relief efforts with little to no support from the central military government. Aid delivery has reportedly been blocked in areas controlled by resistance forces, leaving many survivors without basic necessities.
Shamdasani said several of the reported strikes targeted populated areas, raising concerns over indiscriminate attacks and violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the principle of proportionality.
UN rights chief Volker Türk has urged the military to immediately halt all operations and remove barriers to humanitarian access. He also called for the release of political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, who have been detained since the February 2021 military coup.
The country has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected civilian government, sparking widespread resistance and plunging the nation into a multi-sided conflict.
Amid growing international concern, China — a key ally of Myanmar’s military — has announced 1 billion yuan (approximately $137 million) in emergency humanitarian aid, along with more than 30 rescue teams and an additional 1.5 million yuan ($205,000) in donations via the Chinese Red Cross.
Despite the declared ceasefire and calls for restraint, the continuation of military attacks has further complicated relief efforts, leaving thousands of earthquake survivors in urgent need of aid and protection.
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