UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘spun out of control’

UNITED NATIONS – The UN special envoy for Myanmar warned that the Southeast Asian country is in crisis, with escalating conflicts, “out of control” criminal networks and human suffering on an unprecedented scale.

Julie Bishop told the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee on Tuesday in its first report since her appointment by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last April that “Actors in Myanmar must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality.”

Myanmar’s military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests seeking a return to democratic rule, leading to rising violence and a humanitarian crisis.

Over the past year, three powerful ethnic armed militias have gained ground, leaving the government’s ruling army increasingly in the background in the fighting that has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. According to the UN, three million people are displaced across Myanmar and about 18.6 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Bishop called for an end to the violence, stressing that “little progress can be made in meeting the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country.”

The former Australian foreign minister said she has been in contact with government officials, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw, as well as representatives of the opposition, ethnic armed organizations, women’s groups, human rights defenders and numerous countries . She did not provide details about the meetings.

She said she has covered the current, previous and new ASEAN Chairs in Vientiane, Laos; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The UN envoy said she has also visited Myanmar’s neighbors China and Thailand and will soon visit India and Bangladesh, “and continues to urge neighboring countries to leverage their influence.” She said she will also return to Naypyidaw, but did not provide a time frame. She gave no details about any of the meetings.

At the recent summit between the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, Bishop said Secretary-General Guterres supported enhanced cooperation between the UN envoy and the ASEAN chairman “on innovative ways to to promote a Myanmar-led process.”

This includes the “effective implementation” of an ASEAN five-point plan that Myanmar’s rulers agreed to in April 2021 but have done little about. It calls for an immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue between all concerned parties mediated by an ASEAN Special Envoy, the provision of humanitarian assistance and a visit to Myanmar by the association’s Special Envoy to meet with all concerned parties .

“Any path to reconciliation requires an end to violence, accountability and unfettered access for the UN and its partners to address vulnerabilities among the marginalized, including Rohingya, ethnic communities and especially women and youth,” Bishop said.

But instead she pointed to the rising number of civilian casualties and the rule of law “so severely undermined that transnational crime originating in Myanmar is spreading rapidly.”

“The sheer scale of arms production and trafficking, human trafficking, drug production and trafficking and scam centers means that Myanmar now ranks highest among Member States in terms of organized crime,” she said. “The criminal networks have gotten out of hand.”

Bishop supported Guterres, who emphasized the urgency of paving a path to a democratic transition and return to civilian rule.

“I share his concerns about the military’s stated intention to hold elections in a context of increasing conflict and human rights violations,” she said.

Bishop warned that “the conflict in Myanmar is in danger of becoming a forgotten crisis.”

“The regional implications of this crisis are clear, but the global impact can no longer be ignored,” she said.