Rakhine on the Brink: UN Warns of Imminent Famine Crisis

The United Nations Development Programme warns of a looming famine in Myanmar's Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya minority. Blockades, hyperinflation, and conflict threaten the local economy and food production. Immediate action is needed to avert disaster, with urgent calls for aid and economic intervention.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has issued a stark warning about the dire situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state, highlighting a potential imminent famine. According to a recent report, the region, which is home to the Rohingya minority, is teetering on the brink of an unprecedented disaster due to several interlinked challenges.

UNDP points to restrictions on goods, loss of income, severe inflation, and a drastic drop in food production as contributing factors to the vulnerability of Rakhine's population. The complex conflict involving the government, military, and ethnic groups, including recent offensives by the Arakan Army, exacerbates the already critical circumstances.

The report, titled "Rakhine: A Famine in the Making," calls for urgent humanitarian aid and intervention to avert mass starvation. Without immediate support, the agency predicts that over 2 million people could face extreme food shortages by 2025, with trade blockades and agricultural collapse leaving the state in economic stagnation.

(With inputs from agencies.)