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The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that Myanmar’s military is limiting critically needed humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in areas where it perceives opposition to its rule.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also stated that it was investigating 53 reported attacks by the junta against its opponents since the earthquake struck on March 28, including air strikes, of which 16 occurred after a ceasefire was declared on April 2.
The office reported that it had been made aware of a further eight attacks on Friday, which it is now looking into.
At the time of filing this report, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s ruling junta had not yet commented on the issue.
According to the UN rights office spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, the humanitarian situation in earthquake-affected areas, especially those outside the military’s control, was catastrophic.
The Eastern Updates reports that the 7.7 magnitude quake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, jolted areas home to 28 million people, toppling buildings, flattening communities, and leaving many without food, water, or shelter.
Myanmar’s junta stated that the death toll has risen to more than 3,100.
“Limitations on aid are part of a strategy to prevent assistance from reaching populations it sees as not supporting its seizure of power in 2021,” Shamdasani said.
In other news, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels executed three children after they put on weapons and uniforms abandoned by the Congolese army in the eastern city of Bukavu.
The United Nations Human Rights Office disclosed this on Tuesday, expressing alarm over the incident and other violations committed since the rebels arrived in the city.
During a press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani confirmed the reports.
