How aid becomes a weapon in the Myanmar war area

In the wake of the live earthquake, there is a “golden window” of 72 hours when it is likely to survive those trapped under the rubble.

But in the 72 hours after an earthquake of 7.7 degrees Myanmar struck on Friday, rescue and relief workers who seek to reach some of the worst areas by the military authorities were banned.

This was despite a rare appeal for international humanitarian assistance by Junta Min Aung Hlaing President.

“I would like to invite any country, any organization or any person in Myanmar to come and help,” he said in a speech shortly after the disaster.

On the ground, things moved freely.

“I spoke to a few people who were now part of the rescue efforts in both the epic and the Mandalai, and they said that the (army) had imposed a curfew … the roads were banned, and the checkpoints were really long, and there was a major examination of the goods and services in which they were going and a lot of interrogation,” John Queeni, director of the International Human Rights Group,

“It could have been much easier to allow these people,” he added. “It is clear that Myanmar Junta said that for safety reasons, but I don’t think this is completely legitimate.”

Meanwhile, the golden window was closed.

At the time of this report, more than 2886 people were confirmed in Myanmar as a result of the earthquake.

On Tuesday night, an attack on the relief convoy exacerbated fears.

At 21:21, the army displays a convoy of nine vehicles for the Chinese Red Cross with a relief supply of earthquakes, according to the TA’ANG National Liberation (TNLA), a resistance group in Shan State.

TNLA said in a telegram post late on Tuesday that the convoy was moving towards Mandalay when the soldiers fired it with machine guns, forcing her to return.

A spokesman for JUNTA later confirmed that the soldiers shot the vehicles, saying they had not been notified that the convoy would have passed and fired warning shots after failing to stop.

This is not the first time that the Council of Workers have attacked relief workers.

“They choose and choose when you can enter aid, and if they cannot monitor them and they cannot use it how they want, they restrict it,” he said. “They certainly, moreover, are targeting the effectiveness of human workers.”

The Military Council, which began to fight a civil war with the resistance forces in Myanmar after controlling the country in 2021, has a history of weapons and humanitarian assistance: directing it towards the areas that are under its control and restriction in the areas that not.

The British Broadcasting Corporation evaluated energy balance In more than 14,000 village groups starting from mid -November last year, it was found that the army only controlled 21 % of Myanmar, almost four years from the beginning of the conflict.

In previous natural disasters, such as Cyclone Modha in 2023 and Typhoon Yagi in 2024, which left hundreds of deaths, the army sweat, relief efforts in the resistance -controlled areas by refusing to release customs supplies, delegate travel to relief workers or relaxing restrictions on life assistance.

“It is a disturbing trend that occurs in times of crisis, such as the earthquake,” said Queeni. “The Military Council prevents any assistance to what they see as groups in line with the wider resistance.”

James Rodahavir, head of the Myanmar team at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, suggested that the Military Council is deprived of the number of aid in Myanmar as a form of punishment.

“They do this because the local population is largely, they do not support them, so by depriving them of humanitarian aid, they punish them, but they also cut their ability to support themselves and flexibility.”

There are already signs that JUNTA may repeat this tactic in Sagaing.

Although central Myanmar, which includes the cities of the epic and the Mandalay, is nominally managed by the Military Council – which means that aid can only be delivered to the region with its cooperation – large parts of the saga and mandalay areas are the widest stronghold of resistance.

The possibility that the Military Council of the fields of aid in terms of tactically this screaming of hundreds of human rights organizations and civil society organizations, who urged the international community to ensure relief efforts reach where there is an urgent need, and they are not directed through the military government.

One of these statements, signed by 265 civil society organization and issued on Sunday, is noted that most of the most affected areas are under effective control and management of resistance groups supporting democracy.

“Myanmar’s history provides blatant warnings about the risks of directing aid through the Military Council,” she says.

In sagaing, the effect of aid deficiency can already be seen in disturbing ways, according to relief agencies.

They talk about lack of food, water and fuel, while trucks bearing assistance at military checkpoints across the city. Hundreds of residents, suddenly homeless, sleep outside on the street. The rescue volunteers who were forced to dig through the rubble with their bare hands from the body bags for those who could not save them.

Local media reported that other community members who seek to respond to the earthquake are forced to obtain permission from the JUNTA authorities by submitting the lists of volunteers and the materials that will be donated.

This tactic – to bomb the respondents who have long bureaucratic review lists and operations – are routinely published by the Military Council to restrict the activities of international aid organizations in Myanmar, human sources told BBC.

According to the registration law imposed in 2023, such organizations must obtain a registration certificate, and often sign a memorandum of understanding with the relevant government ministries, to work legally within the country.

One of the sources, who spoke to the BBC provided that his identity is not disclosed, said that relief groups are often required to remove specific activities, regions or towns from their proposals, with no room for negotiation. They added that the areas that the Military Council does not enjoy does not have control or control of aid work.

Relief agencies have found ways to move in the restrictions of JUNTA, however: a lot of humanitarian assistance in Myanmar under the ground occurs, through local groups that can bypass checkpoints and distribute aid without attracting the attention of the authorities.

A source told the BBC that many financial transactions in humanitarian aid also occur outside the banking system in Myanmar, so that the actors can avoid the possible audit and investigation from the central bank in the country. In some cases, humanitarian organizations open bank accounts in Thailand so that they can receive private aid funds, then carry money across the border to Myanmar in cash.

However, these secret methods take time, and may lead to deadly delays of days or weeks.

Some relief workers hope that, given the volume of an earthquake on Friday and international attraction to aid by Min Aung Hinging, it may be easier to overcome barriers and provide assistance more efficiently.

“In the past, we have faced some challenges,” said Luiz Gortton, an emergency specialist at the East Asian Office in UNICEF and the Pacific Regional Office.

“Nevertheless, the size of this emergency condition is much higher … I think there will be pressure on the system to ensure unrestricted and unrestricted human access – and we will continue to repeat the same need and find ways at times low key, to provide assistance.”

The Qatari director of the Catholic Relief Services Team (CRS) in Myanmar said that although it is too early to know whether the military council will really open “all external aid methods”, its team is ready to move in the complex humanitarian situation to provide assistance, said Kara Prague, the Qatari director of the Catholic Relief Services team (CRS) in Myanmar.

“It is certain that (the army) is to direct aid in specific places, not on the basis of need,” said Ms. Prague, who is based in Yangon.

“But as human actors, CRS operates with a human mandate, and will focus heavily to obtain aid to the places you need to go – to the most affected areas, regardless of who controls it.”

Early indicators indicate that despite the call of Min Ong Hulang to the international community, the besieged military council leader is unlikely to give a priority to the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid.

Soon after the earthquake, military aircraft launched a series of air strikes in affected areas, killing more than 50 civilians, according to the Consultative Council of National Unity (NUCC).

After that, on Tuesday, Min Ong Hinging rejected the ceasefire proposals offered by the resistance groups in an attempt to facilitate aid. He said that the military operations will continue as “necessary preventive measures.”

Junta changed her opinion a day later, and agreed to a 20 -day ceasefire to help relief efforts. But it remains to see whether the temporary suspension in hostilities is possible – the army stressed that “it will respond accordingly” if the rebels launched the attacks.

For many spectators, this apparent contradiction – to seek help with one hand during military strikes with the other – with the history of Min Aung Hlaing from duplication.

John Quwindley, from Fortify Rights, suggested that the last call to external aid is likely to appeal international recognition.

He spoke before the announcement of the army’s ceasefire, indicated that the leader of the military council “lied on many occasions about the ceasefire and the total violations he ordered.”

In exchange for that background, Mr. Queeni added, it is important to ensure relief from the earthquake to the place where the need is intense.

“I am not optimistic when it comes to taking what Maine Ong Hinging says with any hint of the truth,” he said.

“I think as a group of human rights, we need to monitor it: well, (Min Aung Hlaing) allows help – but do you already reach the needy people? Or is he aid? Does it prevent help from reaching needy societies?”