Myanmar goes to the polls amid civil war and humanitarian crisis

Myanmar heads to the polls on Sunday as it battles a civil war that has ravaged parts of the country as well as one of Asia’s worst humanitarian crises.

Already one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, Myanmar has been hammered by a conflict triggered by a 2021 coup in which the military ousted an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION?

Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis is one of the most severe in Asia, driven by the intensifying civil war and repeated natural disasters, including a massive earthquake in March.

The ruling junta has previously suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger and aid workers not to publish it, Reuters has reported, besides cracking down on journalists since the coup.

Myanmar is one of the world’s most under-funded aid operations, with only 12% of required funds received, the United Nations says.

U.S. cutsto humanitarian aid are having a crushing impact on people, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar has said.

The UN estimates that 20 million of Myanmar’s 51 million people need aid as soaring inflation and a plunging currency push about half the population below the poverty line.

More than 3.6 million people have been displaced from their homes, with over 6,800 civilians killed in the conflict triggered by the coup, according to UN estimates.

With mounting violence forcing increasing numbers of people to flee, more than 12 million in Myanmar will face acute hunger next year, including 1 million who will need lifesaving support, according to the UN’s World Food Programme.

More than 16 million people across Myanmar are acutely food insecure, meaning that their lack of food threatens lives and livelihoods, WFP estimates.

They are the fifth-largest group needing aid anywhere in the world, making Myanmar “a hunger hotspot of very high concern,” the agency said.

More than 540,000 children across the country are expected to suffer this year from acute malnutrition – life-threatening wasting that can have severe and lifelong effects – a 26% increase from last year, WFP said.

One in three children under the age of five is already suffering from stunted growth, according to WFP.

HOW HAS THE ECONOMY FARED?

Myanmar’s economy – once deemed as one of the region’s most promising – has struggled in recent years, reeling from the civil war, natural disasters and mismanagement.

But despite the challenges, Myanmar’s economy is showing some signs of improvement and its GDP growth is estimated to rebound to 3% in the next fiscal year, the World Bank said this month.

The projected growth is driven by post-earthquake reconstruction and continued targeted assistance for the hardest-hit areas, although inflation is expected to remain above 20%.

With electricity supply deteriorating, exposing millions of people to chronic blackouts, households and businesses are increasingly embracing solar energy for reliable power.

Russia, which has been building ties with the junta, signed an investment agreement with Myanmar in June that it said could open up new opportunities for Russian energy companies in the south Asian country.