Myanmar Junta Allegedly Blocking Humanitarian Aid to Opposition-Controlled Affected Areas

Kyomaro Township following a bombing run conducted by Myanmar’s junta in 2024. Myanmar’s civil war has exacerbated recovery efforts to help victims of the country’s recent earthquake. (Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, March 28, killing at least 2,700 people and leaving thousands more injured or displaced. As the second-most powerful earthquake in the country’s recorded history, the disaster has intensified criticism of Myanmar’s military government for its authoritarian iron first, with the junta implementing restrictions on foreign aid reaching certain affected communities.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a bloody civil war since the military overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021. The conflict is further complicated by the country’s 135 recognized indigenous groups across several regions, most of which feature one or more small, independent rebel militias fighting against the junta for various reasons, from increased regional autonomy to independence. An estimated 2,600 rebel groups from different ethnic backgrounds are fighting the junta-led State Administration Council (SAC) in a decentralized effort to remove General Min Aung Hlaing from power. While some resistance groups have cooperated in a limited capacity, the war is still mainly being fought in a decentralized manner, with no dominant rebel group orchestrating anti-government action.

As of February 2025, the SAC controls only about 21 percent of Myanmar, with the remaining territory divided among rebel factions and warlords. This fragmented landscape has severely complicated humanitarian response efforts. Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been displaced by war, and the ongoing conflict continues to hinder relief operations.

Despite a rare call for international aid, reports indicate that the junta is blocking foreign assistance from reaching opposition-controlled areas. This is presumably to gain a strategic advantage in the civil war by forcing rebel groups to divert their attention and limited resources to humanitarian work rather than fighting the SAC. Taiwanese emergency workers and international relief supplies headed for rebel-held regions have allegedly already been turned away, despite government denials.

Further complicating relief efforts are junta-imposed internet blackouts, which have disrupted emergency communications. Local journalists report that aid organizations must apply for permits to operate in certain areas, and a ban on nighttime aid work, stemming from COVID-19-era curfews, remains in effect.

While Myanmar’s largest opposition forces have announced temporary ceasefires to focus on earthquake recovery, Hlaing has refused to halt military operations, saying the junta will continue "defensive operations" against its adversaries—an action likely to face international condemnation.

With monsoon season approaching and war-torn Myanmar already grappling with widespread humanitarian crises, aid groups warn that thousands more lives could be at risk if international relief efforts remain restricted.