A major earthquake hasn’t stopped military airstrikes in Myanmar

Myanmar’s military junta has been accused of blocking aid for earthquake survivors in desperate need of food and water.

After the earthquake, the rebel alliance declared a unilateral ceasefire to support a humanitarian response.

This wasn’t reciprocated by the military, which launched airstrikes against resistance groups rescuing people from under the rubble.

It is not the first time the junta, which seized power in a coup nearly four years ago but now controls less than a quarter of the country, has taken advantage of a natural disaster.

In the aftermath of Storm Mocha in 2023 and Typhoon Yagi in 2024, the regime stopped international aid from reaching affected areas that were controlled by the rebels.

Aid and medical support only got to Sagaing on Monday, even though the rebel-controlled city is the closest to the earthquake’s epicentre.

Preliminary modelling estimates the quake death toll could exceed 10,000 people.

Photo credit: SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images