GENEVA
\nMyanmar\u2019s military is limiting critically needed humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in areas where it sees opposition to its rule, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.
\nThe U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also said it was investigating 53 reported attacks by the junta against its opponents since the earthquake struck on March 28, including air strikes, of which 16 came after a ceasefire on April 2.
\nOn Friday, the office was made aware of a further eight attacks which it was looking into, it said.
\nA spokesperson for Myanmar\u2019s ruling junta did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment.
\nThe humanitarian situation in earthquake areas, especially those out of the military\u2019s control, was catastrophic, U.N. rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
\nThe 7.7 magnitude quake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, jolted areas home to 28 million people, toppling buildings, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter. Myanmar\u2019s junta says the death toll has risen to more than 3,100.
\n\u201cLimitations of aid is part of a strategy to prevent aid getting to the populations it sees as not supporting its seizure of power back in 2021,\u201d said James Rodehaver, head of OHCHR\u2019s Myanmar team, speaking via video link from Bangkok.
\nThe need for aid was particularly urgent in Myanmar\u2019s Sagaing region, and time was working against humanitarian agencies to help those in need, he added.
\n\u201cAir strikes are alarming, shocking and need to stop straight away – the focus needs to be on humanitarian recovery,\u201d Shamdasani said.
\nThe government on state-run MRTV late on Wednesday announced a 20-day unilateral ceasefire effective immediately to support post-quake rehabilitation, but warned it would \u201crespond accordingly\u201d if rebels launched attacks.
\nMillions of people have been affected by Myanmar\u2019s widening civil war, triggered by the coup that ousted the government of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
\nIt has decimated the mainly agrarian economy, driven more than 3.5 million people from their homes and crippled essential services such as healthcare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GENEVA Myanmar\u2019s military is limiting critically needed humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in areas where it sees opposition to its rule, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also said it was investigating 53 reported attacks by the junta against its opponents since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n