Agencies NAYPYIDAW( Myanmar)

Doctors helping with aftermath of disaster and UN special rapporteur say aid is disappearing or being blocked in areas controlled by resistance groups Myanmar’s military is facing criticism over continued airstrikes and claims it is blocking aid to earthquake survivors, as international agencies urged “unfettered access” to humanitarian aid in the conflict-riven nation.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit central Myanmar on Friday has caused widespread destruction, killing more than 2,700 people and leaving affected areas in dire need of basic necessities such as food and water.

Two Australia-based doctors helping coordinate the emergency response at the epicentre in Mandalay and Sagaing have accused the junta of blocking supplies of emergency aid. “Some of the supplies of aid, well most of it, was not given to the people who need it. In some areas in Mandalay the aid did not arrive. The aid was confiscated by the military junta,” said Dr Nang Win, the Guardian reported..

Since the earthquake hit, Dr Nang has been communicating with colleagues in Mandalay, where she says aid has been scarce and makeshift clinics are being set up in lieu of a proper emergency response system. One medical colleague in the city, she said, had signed paperwork to receive $1,000 in aid, but received only about $100 worth of it, claiming the skimmed supplies would probably end up in a disaster black market.

Since Myanmar’s military seized power in a February 2021 coup, an armed resistance movement comprised of different ethnic groups has been locked in a chaotic and deadly civil war. Over the past year the junta has been consistently losing ground, controlling less than 30% of the country’s territory, though it retains control of the biggest cities.

In areas where the military does not have full control, the military has been blocking aid and preventing teams of rescuers from entering, said Dr Nang. “If a group of rescuers comes and says we want to enter, especially in Sagaing, they will not let you, they will say you need a permit and once you get a permit it is too late,” she said. A spokesperson for the junta did not immediately respond to the claims.