Breaking News:Myanmar goes to the polls amid civil war and humanitarian crisis– What Just Happened

Already one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, Myanmar has been hammered by a conflict triggered by a 2021 coup in which the military ousted an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

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WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION?

Myanmar is one of the world’s most under-funded aid operations, with only 12% of required funds received, the United Nations says.

The UN estimates that 20 million of Myanmar’s 51 million people need aid as soaring inflation and a plunging currency push about half the population below the poverty line.

More than 3.6 million people have been displaced from their homes, with over 6,800 civilians killed in the conflict triggered by the coup, according to UN estimates.

More than 16 million people across Myanmar are acutely food insecure, meaning that their lack of food threatens lives and livelihoods, WFP estimates.

They are the fifth-largest group needing aid anywhere in the world, making Myanmar “a hunger hotspot of very high concern,” the agency said.

More than 540,000 children across the country are expected to suffer this year from acute malnutrition – life-threatening wasting that can have severe and lifelong effects – a 26% increase from last year, WFP said.

One in three children under the age of five is already suffering from stunted growth, according to WFP.

HOW HAS THE ECONOMY FARED?

Myanmar’s economy – once deemed as one of the region’s most promising – has struggled in recent years, reeling from the civil war, natural disasters and mismanagement.

The projected growth is driven by post-earthquake reconstruction and continued targeted assistance for the hardest-hit areas, although inflation is expected to remain above 20%.

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