UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters today (21 Aug) that reports show “intensifying hostilities in Rakhine have caused casualties and new displacement, notably in Maungdaw Township, on the border with Bangladesh. On August 5, an estimated 20,000 people were reportedly displaced from three downtown Maungdaw wards. There are also reports of more people crossing into Bangladesh.”

He added, “In northern Shan, there has been a resurgence of fighting since late June, with an estimated 33,000 people displaced from four townships. There are also reports of civilian casualties; homes and other structures have also been destroyed according to the information we’re getting.”

“Torrential monsoon rains since the end of June are aggravating the already dire humanitarian situation,” Dujarric added.

He continued, “Some 393,000 men, women and children have been impacted by this flooding.”

The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which aims to reach some 5.3 million people across the country, is focusing on displaced people, hard-to-reach conflict areas, and locations with the most severe needs, the Spokesperson noted.

However, he said, “of the $993 million which we need to implement this Plan, we’ve only received 23 per cent, which means that just over $225 million U.S. dollars are in the bank.”

The Spokesperson concluded, “Despite the challenges, some 2.1 million people across Myanmar were reached by UN and other humanitarian partners during the first half of this year. They received assistance such as food, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation support. More resources are urgently needed for partners to respond at scale to the growing needs of this crisis.”