UK aid cut for Myanmar will cost lives, Burma Campaign UK warns

July 17 Mizzima. Burma Campaign UK strongly criticized on July 17 the UK government's decision to reduce aid to Myanmar from £66 million to £55 million for the current fiscal year. The organization stated that this reduction will continue until at least 2029. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released its annual report without any media statement or social media posts, and the report's appendices contain details of planned UK aid reductions in the coming years, the group said. According to information on Myanmar in page 234 of the report, only £55.3 million will be available for the people of Myanmar, which is approximately half of the amount the UK provided before the military coup in 2021, Burma Campaign UK said. The group criticized that UK aid has been further reduced despite the extremely high humanitarian needs after the coup. After the coup, UK aid was initially reduced by 73 percent, and only began to increase in the last two years. However, reductions are now starting again, the group said. In its statement, Burma Campaign UK stated that the Myanmar military junta is deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis by intentionally attacking homes, schools, and health clinics, and that this strategy is intended to weaken the morale and capacity of the revolutionary forces. "UK aid for Myanmar is saving lives. Therefore, these cuts will cost lives," said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. This reduction in aid comes at a time when the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar continues to grow. While official estimates put the number of internally displaced people in the country at over 3.6 million, local community organizations estimate that this number could be higher, reaching up to 5 million internally displaced people. Furthermore, 80 percent of Myanmar's population lives in long-term poverty, Burma Campaign UK said. The aid cuts also coincide with the UK government's failure to impose new economic and arms-related pressure on the Myanmar military junta. According to Burma Campaign UK's statement, it has been nearly two years since the UK government last imposed new sanctions on the Myanmar military junta. The group also noted that over 100,000 people have died in conflicts since the 2021 military coup, and there are over 14,000 political prisoners. The statement said that the Myanmar military junta conducts airstrikes on average every two and a half hours, and a child dies on average every 29 hours. "This government is failing the people of Myanmar. Instead of cutting off the flow of weapons and money to the Myanmar military, they are cutting off aid," said Anna Roberts. Burma Campaign UK further clarified that the amount of £92.8 million for the previous fiscal year mentioned in the annual report included £25 million in emergency aid provided after the earthquake that occurred in Myanmar last year, and the original aid allocation was just over £66 million. The post UK aid cut for Myanmar will cost lives, Burma Campaign UK warns appeared first on BUR.MIZZIMA.COM.