Why Myanmar's war matter, even if the world isn't watching?

Why Myanmar’s war matter, even if the world isn’t watching?

NEW DELHI: The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, a nation of approximately 55 million people situated between China and India, threatens to tear the country apart. Despite the conflict’s international ramifications, it has not garnered widespread attention.

In recent months, resistance fighters in Myanmar’s remote areas have been consistently defeating the ruling military junta, surprising analysts and raising the possibility of the junta’s collapse. The war has become a human rights disaster, with Myanmar’s economy in shambles since the 2021 military coup, plunging millions into extreme poverty. The country’s reputation as a center for drugs, online scams, and money laundering is growing, and its instability has created strategic challenges for China, India, the United States, and other nations.

The civil war has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and displaced nearly 3 million others. The country is riddled with land mines, and extreme inflation has contributed to a significant reduction in the middle class, according to the United Nations. The health sector is in crisis, with childhood vaccinations essentially halted and a substantial increase in malaria cases. Experts are concerned about the spread of HIV and tuberculosis.

The conflict has regional and international implications. According to the United Nations, Russia and other countries have sold the Myanmar army at least $1 billion in weapons since the 2021 coup. China sees threats to its infrastructure projects across the country, while India, which has long feared chaos in its borderlands, is deporting Myanmar refugees.

Thailand is similarly concerned about the estimated 40,000 or more refugees that the United Nations predicts will cross the border this year. Bangladesh sees obstacles to its efforts to repatriate the Rohingya, and the United States has begun providing nonlethal aid to armed resistance groups.

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