Myanmar junta still able to access weapons and money overseas, says UN expert

27/6/2024 18:32

        International efforts to isolate Myanmar's ruling junta appear to have dented its ability to purchase new military equipment from overseas, but the military is still able to access money and weapons for its war against anti-coup forces, a U.N. expert said in a report published on Wednesday.
        
        Myanmar has been plunged in turmoil since the military seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup, which sparked financial sanctions imposed on the military, banks and other associated businesses by Western countries.
        
        More than three years on, a protest movement against the coup has evolved into a full-blown civil war, with the military accused of launching air strikes on insurgents and civilians alike as it has lost control of large swathes of territory.
        
        A report by the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, found the value of weapons, dual-use technologies, manufacturing equipment and other materials imported by the junta amounted to $253 million in the year up to March 2024.
        
        That was a third less than the previous year, the report said, thanks to efforts by Singapore to prevent its companies from aiding the junta.