Myanmar's war-torn Rakhine faces famine with 2 million people at risk, UN says

By Shoon Naing

Myanmar's war-ravaged Rakhine state could face imminent famine according to a United Nations report, which estimates that more than two million people could be at the risk of starvation.

Rice production in Rakhine, a western state that borders Bangladesh, has declined due to shortages of seeds and fertilizers, severe weather and the displacement of people who can no longer farm, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Aid agencies including the Red Cross have faced severe difficulties in assessing humanitarian needs and delivering aid due to restrictions from Myanmar's military government.

"Rakhine stands on the precipice of an unprecedented disaster," the UNDP said in a report late on Thursday.

"Combined with the near-total halt of trade, over two million people are at risk of starvation."

The number of internally displaced people in Rakhine has risen by more than 60% from October 2023 to August this year, with more than 500,000 now relying entirely on aid, the UNDP said.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, sparking mass protests that escalated into an armed rebellion on multiple fronts.

With more than three million people displaced and much of the country in chaos, humanitarian aid has become critical in Myanmar.

A spokesperson for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment on the report.

Violence has been on the increase since conflict reignited in Rakhine last November following the collapse of a ceasefire between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military. Rebel forces have since made substantial gains.

Though the military has for years been accused of persecuting the Muslim minority Rohingya community in Rakhine, the Arakan Army has also been accused of targeting them, which it has denied. An AA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The fighting has triggered a new wave of Rohingya refugees fleeing into Bangladesh, where more than a million Rohingya live in huge refugee camps.

"Without urgent action, 95% of the population will regress into survival mode," the UNDP report said.