Attachments
Overview
The following overview has been generated using the information available up to April 21, 2026. It provides a synthesized summary and key insights into the crisis based on the most recent data accessible at that time.
Summary
Myanmar has been in crisis since February 1, 2021, when the military (Tatmadaw) overthrew the democratically elected government. This coup sparked widespread protests and armed resistance, leading to a severe political, economic, and humanitarian crisis. The military junta, known as the State Administration Council (SAC), has responded with brutal force, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths and widespread human rights abuses.
As of December 2025, approximately 3.6 million people are internally displaced across the country—a dramatic increase from roughly 300,000 pre-2021—with displacement projected to rise toward 4 million in 2026. Intensified clashes continue in Sagaing, Magway, northern Shan, Kayah, and Mandalay, where junta forces have launched renewed ground and air offensives ahead of military-run elections starting December 28, 2025. The Arakan Army now controls all but three of Rakhine State's 17 townships, while resistance forces including the Karen National Liberation Army have consolidated influence across much of central and southeastern Myanmar. The UN's 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, released December 10, projects over 16 million people will require humanitarian assistance.
Recovery from the March 2025 earthquake remains slow, with an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of debris and reconstruction hampered by insecurity, shortages of heavy machinery (43%) and labour (40%), and limited access. Many affected communities, particularly in Magway, Sagaing, and Mandalay, continue to live in temporary shelters, while essential services remain disrupted. Approximately 24,200 houses were damaged (24% completely destroyed), and 132 health facilities were damaged—half in Mandalay.
The Rohingya crisis continues to worsen, with the junta's blockade of Rakhine preventing international aid delivery since late 2023, leaving hundreds of thousands of IDPs with severely limited assistance. On December 10, 2025, a military airstrike destroyed Mrauk-U General Hospital, killing at least 33 people and injuring 76-80—one of the deadliest attacks on healthcare in the conflict. Chronic poverty now affects over 80% of the population, the World Bank projects GDP will contract 2.0% in FY2025/26 with inflation remaining above 20%, and market disruptions have deepened food insecurity nationwide. The 2026 HNRP appeals for approximately $890 million but reflects severely constrained funding and narrowed operational space, forcing agencies to prioritize only 2.6 million people with the most severe needs for life-saving support.
Key Insights
1. Myanmar's humanitarian crisis continues to deepen amid persistent conflict, economic collapse, and the lingering impacts of the March 2025 earthquake. An estimated 16 million people—nearly one in three citizens—are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, as conflict-driven displacement, natural disasters, and funding shortages exacerbate vulnerabilities nationwide.
The March 28 earthquake remains a defining event in the humanitarian landscape. Official figures confirm 3,745 deaths and over 5,000 injuries, with the Early Recovery Cluster reporting over 24,200 houses damaged (24% completely destroyed), 4,857 apartments affected, and 132 health facilities damaged. An estimated 3.5 million tonnes of debris blocks roads and markets, with clearance impeded by shortages of heavy machinery (43%) and labour (40%). Nearly three-quarters of the most affected townships continue to face critical shelter and livelihood gaps—64% of communities reported job losses and 30-31% reported damage to crops and workplaces—while disrupted water systems (44% of groundwater sources contaminated) have fueled outbreaks of cholera and dengue.
2. Conflict has escalated dramatically ahead of junta-run elections starting December 28, 2025. The military has intensified air and ground offensives, conducting 2,165 airstrikes between January and November 2025—up from 1,716 in all of 2024. On December 10, a military airstrike destroyed Mrauk-U General Hospital in Rakhine State, killing at least 33 people and injuring 76-80—prompting UN, WHO, and Amnesty International condemnation and calls for investigation as a possible war crime.
Total displacement has reached approximately 3.6 million people as of late 2025, with projections indicating it could rise to 4 million in 2026. The Arakan Army now controls all but three of Rakhine's 17 townships, while resistance forces have captured extensive border areas in the southeast. Attacks on healthcare are widespread: Insecurity Insight recorded 1,815 attacks on health care between February 2021 and November 2025, with WHO verifying 67 attacks in 2025 alone. Access restrictions, including the junta's blockade of Rakhine since late 2023, continue to endanger civilians—particularly Rohingya communities facing persistent protection risks, restricted mobility, and limited access to aid.
3. Humanitarian access remains severely limited by insecurity and deliberate obstruction. The 2026 HNRP appeals for approximately $890 million but reflects severely constrained funding and narrowed operational space, prioritizing only 2.6 million people with the most severe needs at a cost of $521 million. Partners reached some 5 million people in the first nine months of 2025, but access constraints—including roadblocks, landmines, telecommunications blackouts, and the Rakhine blockade affecting 600,000 IDPs—force reliance on low-profile, community-led delivery modalities. WFP warns that hunger has reached "unacceptable" levels, with over 400,000 young children and mothers surviving on nutrient-deprived diets of plain rice or watery porridge.
4. The Food Security Cluster estimates about 8.5 million people face moderate-to-severe food insecurity in 2026, driven by conflict, displacement, rising food and fuel prices, reduced market access and supply-chain disruptions. September 2025 analyses reported "Serious" to "Critical" Global Acute Malnutrition in multiple conflict-affected townships, notably in Northern Rakhine, Kachin, Sagaing, Southern Shan, and Kayah—with nutrition and treatment services suspended or operating at minimal capacity due to access constraints. Economic conditions continue to deteriorate: the World Bank projects real GDP will contract 2.0% in FY2025/26, with inflation remaining above 20%. Rising poverty and fear of forced conscription have driven male migration, leaving women, girls, and older people as household heads. More than four in ten households identify lack of income as their top challenge, and 83% of internally displaced families can meet half or less of their basic needs. The convergence of conflict, disaster, and economic decline continues to erode coping capacities, pushing Myanmar further toward a protracted humanitarian emergency with no signs of de-escalation.
5. International condemnation has intensified following the December 10 airstrike on Mrauk-U Hospital. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an investigation, warning the attack could amount to a war crime. WHO's Director-General condemned the strike as among dozens of verified attacks on healthcare in 2025. Amnesty International and the Burma Human Rights Network have urged the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, impose an arms embargo, and authorize emergency cross-border humanitarian aid.
Peace negotiations remain effectively stalled: resistance leaders and the National Unity Government publicly rejected Chinese-brokered terms for northern Shan State. The junta has cancelled voting in thousands of wards where it cannot secure control, while nationwide "silent strikes" signalled popular rejection of the military's December elections. EU and Australia have declared the vote "not credible" amid junta repression. The junta denies responsibility for civilian casualties, accusing "terrorists" of being targeted, while humanitarian organizations warn the pre-election environment is driving further escalation rather than de-escalation.