UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 Myanmar鈥檚 Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya minority and engulfed in conflict between government forces and a powerful ethnic group, could face an imminent acute famine, the United Nations development agency warned in a new report.
The U.N. Development Program said in the report issued Thursday that 鈥渁 perfect storm is brewing鈥 which has put western Rakhine 鈥渙n the precipice of an unprecedented disaster.鈥
It pointed to a chain of interlinked developments including restrictions on goods from elsewhere in and neighboring Bangladesh, the absence of income for residents, hyperinflation, significantly reduced food production, and a lack of essential services and social safety net.
As a result, UNDP said, 鈥渁n already highly vulnerable population may be on the brink of collapse in the coming months.鈥
Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya Muslim minority to be 鈥淏engalis鈥 from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982.
In August 2017, attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group on Myanmar security personnel triggered a brutal campaign by the military which drove at least 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh. The military is accused of mass rape, killings and burning thousands of homes.
Since from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy guerillas and ethnic minority armed forces have been from power.
Last November, the Arakan Army, which is seeking autonomy from Myanmar鈥檚 central government, began an offensive against the military in Rakhine and has . The Arakan Army, which is the well-armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, is also a member of the armed ethnic group alliance trying to topple the military.
The UNDP report said that based on data the agency collected in 2023 and 2024, 鈥淩akhine鈥檚 economy has stopped functioning, with critical sectors such as trade, agriculture, and construction nearly at a standstill.鈥
With domestic and international markets no longer accessible because of blockades, UNDP said people鈥檚 incomes are collapsing because they can鈥檛 export goods, and that agricultural jobs are disappearing for the same reason.
In addition, it said, imports of cement have stopped, leading to 鈥渁n exorbitant price increase鈥 and shutting down the construction industry, a major employer.
The report, titled 鈥淩akhine: A Famine in the Making,鈥 said, 鈥淩akhine could face acute famine imminently.鈥
鈥淧redictions indicate that domestic food production will only cover 20% of its needs by March-April 2025,鈥 UNDP said.
鈥淚nternal rice production is plummeting due to a lack of seeds, fertilizers, severe weather conditions, a steep rise in the number of internally displaced people who can longer engage in cultivation, and escalating conflict,鈥 the U.N. agency said. 鈥淭his, along with the near-total cessation of internal and external trade, will leave over 2 million people at risk of starvation.鈥
UNDP called for immediate action to allow goods and humanitarian aid into Rakhine, enable unimpeded access for aid workers and ensure their safety, and urgently provide financial resources to enable the agricultural sector to recover.
鈥淲ithout urgent action, 95% of the population will regress into survival mode, left to fend for themselves amid a drastic reduction in domestic production, skyrocketing prices, widespread unemployment, and heightened insecurity,鈥 UNDP warned.
鈥淲ith trade routes closed and severe restrictions on aid, Rakhine risks becoming a fully isolated zone of deep human suffering,鈥 the U.N. agency said.
