Description:
"Throughout February, the delivery of essential humanitarian services intended for
approximately 90,000 crisis-affected people was constrained by 91 access-related
incidents reported across 12 states and regions in Myanmar. The total number of
incidents increased by seven per cent compared to the 2025 average, with the
largest number of access constraints reported from Rakhine at 31 per cent,
followed by Chin at 26 per cent, and Kachin and Mandalay at eight per cent each.
Ongoing armed hostilities continued to be the most prevalent factor of access
constraints, resulting in delays to planned humanitarian activities in nine states
and regions, including Chin, Rakhine, Kachin, Tanintharyi and Kayah, which
collectively accounted for 83 per cent of all reported incidents. In Sagaing, on three
different occasions, some local organizations had to relocate their volunteers to
safer locations temporarily following heavy clashes between the Myanmar Armed
Forces (MAF) and non-state armed groups (NSAGs), forcing them to postpone
their activities for more than seven days. In Magway, a number of medical kits
stored by a humanitarian organisation were destroyed during armed clashes.
Unexpected roadblocks by armed actors in several townships in Rakhine, Magway
and Tanintharyi disrupted scheduled aid deliveries for up to five days. Airstrikes
and heavy-weapon attacks accounted for 28 per cent of the total constraints,
further heightening risks for aid workers in Chin, Kachin and Rakhine, resulting in
delays or temporary suspension of activities, including the provision of essential
protection, health and WASH services.
Administrative and bureaucratic impediments accounted for 10 per cent of the
total reported incidents and affected humanitarian activities in six states and
regions, with Rakhine and Northern and Southern Shan particularly impacted. In
four different incidents reported from Rakhine, Magway and Kayin, humanitarian
organisations had to postpone planned deliveries, including the distribution of
food and WASH materials, due to delays in obtaining Travel Authorization from the
state administration. Humanitarian organisations continued to face increased
scrutiny and prolonged delays at checkpoints manned by parties to the conflict in
Kachin, Rakhine, and Northern and Southern Shan, significantly delaying relief
operations. In Kachin, due to local-level restrictions on gathering large numbers of
people in certain locations, an international organization had to wait for more than
two weeks to resume activities. While access to IDP camps in Sittwe Township
remains restricted for partners due to the lack of renewed MoUs, there was a
welcome development as a number of UN agencies received approval to access
the camps. The joint TA facilitated by OCHA has also been approved.
Violence and threats against humanitarian personnel continued, with two such
incidents reported in Kachin and Rakhine. In one incident, staff from an
international organization returning from a field mission was compelled by a
non-state armed actor to give a lift to a person. In six different incidents,
humanitarian organisations were forced to suspend their activities for more than
two weeks due to ongoing recruitment campaigns, mainly in Mandalay and Bago
regions. In one such incident, a local aid worker in Bago was recruited by the MAF
and remained in their custody as of the end of February..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of Publication:
2026-03-18
Date of entry:
2026-03-18
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Countries:
Myanmar
Language:
English
Local URL:
Format:
pdf
Size:
612.32 KB
Resource Type:
text
Text quality:
- Good
