Acute Famine Conditions in Rakhine | 12 Nov 2024
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has warned that Myanmar's Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya minority, is on the brink of an acute famine due to a combination of internal conflicts, economic collapse, and natural disasters.
- Key factors for Acute Famine: Blockades restricting goods, hyperinflation, lack of income, reduced food production, absence of essential services.
- Predictions suggest domestic food production will cover only 20% of Rakhine's needs by March-April 2025. Over 2 million people are at risk of starvation by March-April 2025 due to declining domestic food production.
- The military-led government has limited humanitarian aid access, further exacerbating the crisis.
- Rakhine, the westernmost state in Myanmar, is one of the poorest regions, facing ongoing conflict, displacement, and poverty.
- For decades, the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar, have faced discrimination and exclusionary citizenship laws, leading to hundreds of thousands fleeing persecution.
- In 2017, India signed a development program to help Myanmar build housing infrastructure for displaced persons in Rakhine State.
- UNDP was established in 1965 by the United Nations, aims to eliminate poverty and promote sustainable development, democratic governance, and climate resilience.
Read more: Ongoing Issues in Myanmar