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Myanmar “risks becoming a forgotten crisis”, warns the UN representative

Online Niel October 30, 2024

The united nations‘ specially sent to Myanmar she denounced what she called a “zero-sum mentality” among those involved in the long-running conflict there, saying that only an end to the violence would open the door to reconciliation.

Julie Bishop made the comments on Tuesday in her first address to a UN General Assembly committee since being appointed to the post in April.

The Myanmar military, which took power in a 2021 couphas faced intensified fighting over the past year from armed groups across the Southeast Asian nation, particularly an alliance of rebel ethnic groups.

“Myanmar actors need to move beyond the current zero-sum mentality. There can be little progress in addressing people’s needs while armed conflict continues across the country,” Bishop said.

Smoke rises from an explosion during a bombing by the Myanmar military in Lashio, northern Shan State, last month. Photo: AFP

“Any path to reconciliation requires an end to violence, accountability and unfettered access for the UN and its partners,” especially marginalized groups such as the ethnic Muslim majority. Rohingyashe added.

“The conflict in Myanmar risks becoming a forgotten crisis. The people of Myanmar, who have suffered so much, deserve better.”