Burma Earthquake: Junta's Bombing & Civil War Complicate Disaster Relief

Devastating Earthquake and Its Aftermath

• 🌍 A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Burma, causing over 3,000 deaths, including 50 children in a preschool collapse in Thailand.
• 💔 Survivors recount harrowing experiences of being trapped in rubble, with one video showing a girl and her grandmother pleading for help.
• 🏠 In Mandalay, the epicenter city, over 50% of structures were destroyed, and a neighboring city, Sagaing, is reported to be 90% crushed.
• 🌡️ Many survivors are sleeping outdoors in extreme heat due to fear of aftershocks and the destruction of their homes.

Compounding Crises: Coup and Civil War

• ⚠️ The situation is described as a "triple whammy": the 2021 military coup, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and now the earthquake.
• ⚔️ The ongoing civil war since the 2021 coup has severely hampered rescue efforts, with rebel groups accusing the junta of air strikes even after the earthquake.
• 🚧 The military junta, paranoid about losing control, has increased obstacles for movement, especially at night, and is bombing villages and towns in areas it has lost control of.
• 📉 Decades of civil war, political repression, poverty, and corruption have weakened civil society's ability to respond to the disaster.

International Aid and Calls for Action

• 🇨🇳🇷🇺🇮🇳🇻🇳🇹🇭 China, Russia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand quickly sent rescue teams and emergency aid.
• 🇺🇸 The US response has been criticized as slow, with layoffs at USAID occurring as aid efforts were being prepared, and a meager $2 million pledged.
• 💰 A call is made to unfreeze $1 billion in US dollars frozen since the 2021 coup, suggesting it be handled by an international body for earthquake relief.
• 🕊️ A plea for a 100-day humanitarian ceasefire from all actors involved in the conflict is made to allow for rescue and reconstruction efforts to begin.