Displacement soars in Myanmar with over 2.6 m Internally Displaced People
About 628,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the end of October 2023, due to the intensification of the armed conflict, and the total number of IDPs has reached more than 2.6 million, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
2023 is the year of continued fierce fighting in various parts of the country with a record number of people displaced from their homes and it ended with threats to the lives of civilians becoming increasingly widespread, according to the UNOCHA.
Since the end of October 2023, the intensification of fighting has continued for more than two months, and this widening of fighting is the largest in volume since the political change in early 2021, as well as the most extensive in terms of extraterrestrial geography.
By the end of 2023, it is estimated that more than 2.6 million people will have to flee across Myanmar, and an estimated 628,000 people have been forced to flee due to the intensification of fighting since the end of October, according to a statement by UNOCHA.
Humanitarian partners face significant access restrictions and procedural barriers. Since the conflict intensified at the end of October 2023, UNOCHA has continued to advocate for wider access and assistance, especially in areas where there are many procedural obstacles.
In 2023, humanitarian organizations remained in the country and assisted 2.8 million people in the first nine months, and expected to be able to assist 3.1 million people by the end of the year.
However, due to the lack of funds, the aid provision could not be fully implemented as originally planned in response to the needs, and the lack of fulfilment of the needs has been added to the year 2024, according to the statement of UNOCHA.
The 2023 Myanmar Humanitarian Response Program received only 32 per cent of the requested funds in 2023, requiring approximately US$600 million.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) has been released, and a record 18.6 million people in need of assistance have been identified, according to a statement by UNOCHA.
This figure is an increase from 17.6 million people in need of assistance in 2023. With the increase in demand, 5.3 million people are targeted for urgent assistance in 2024, and US$994 million are still needed to provide this assistance, UNOCHA said in a statement.
The political change and the crisis that has been going on in Myanmar for almost three years has become a forgetful situation, and this situation needs to receive immediate and long-term international attention in 2024, as well as to reduce the suffering of the civilians and increase the necessary funds for social life relief activities, UNOCHA said in a statement.
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