How USAID cuts have affected Myanmar’s earthquake relief efforts Premium

Myanmar faces devastation from earthquake aftermath amid political turmoil, financial aid cuts, and humanitarian crisis, requiring international assistance.

Story so far: The death toll in the earthquake which hit central Myanmar has steadily climbed to over 2,000, bringing the country’s infrastructure, healthcare system and power network to their knees. Strife-torn since 2021 due to a military coup, Myanmar is facing an additional need for financial aid in the wake of the devasting calamity. Its avenues for humanitarian and financial aid have reduced since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration cut off all funds to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) - which has administered humanitarian aid programmes for almost 60 years. 

As Myanmar faced a 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the Trump administration told Congress that it would cut all remaining jobs at USAID and shut the agency. In contrast Trump has promised that the U.S would provide assistance to Myanmar. Cuts to the agency have disrupted most of its global humanitarian work – including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Palestine, Afghanistan etc. 

The political scenario in Myanmar has been tense since a military coup toppled the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since General Min Aung Hlaing took over as the military government’s head, the nation was put under an year-long emergency. This led to protests demanding restoration of civilian rule, which elicited a military crackdown killing more than 600 people. As the military’s campaign silencing dissenters, targeting ethnic groups continued, an opposition force emerged called the National Unity Government (NUG), with an armed wing called People’s Defense Force (PDF) to fight the junta. 

According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the PDF has grown to a 85,000-strong armed force with several rebel ethnic groups lending support. Using drones to bomb military and police outposts, PDF and its allies have captured over 180 military outposts by end of 2023 and 42% of the nation’s territory. Pushing the military in defensive in Bamar and advancing towards Mandalay, PDF has reduced the junta’s control to only 21% of Myanmar. Waning morale and its dwindling strength to 1,30,000 fighters, the junta is stretched thin fighting the opposition. 

Hit with the devastating earthquake, General Min Aung Hlaing, on March 28, pleaded for international help, a rarity for the isolated military junta. 

Apart from its dwindling territorial control, the military has been responsible for destroying the nation’s critical infrastructure and hospitals in rebel-held areas, including Mandalay – the most severely-hit region due to the earthquake. The United Nations (U.N.) stated that hospitals in Mandalay, Magway and the capital Naypyidaw “are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured”.

The damage to phone and internet services, which were already patchy due to civil war, has added to the administration and NGOs inability to aid to areas in need. Land and air routes have also been disrupted as many houses have collapsed, leaving thousands trapped and even more homeless.