Myanmar’s war-ravaged Rakhine state could face imminent famine according to a new United Nations report, which estimates that more than two million people could be at risk of starvation.
“Rakhine’s economy has stopped functioning,” said a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released late on Thursday.
It projected “famine conditions by mid-2025” if current levels of food insecurity are left unaddressed in the western state bordering Bangladesh that is home to the stateless Rohingya community.
Some two million people are at risk of starvation, UNDP added.
Rice production in Rakhine has declined due to shortages of seeds and fertilisers, severe weather and the displacement of people who can no longer farm, the agency said.
Rakhine stands on the precipice of an unprecedented disaster,” the UNDP said in its report.
Combined with the near-total halt of trade, over two million people are at risk of starvation,” it added.
“Without urgent action, 95 percent of the population will regress into survival mode.”
Aid agencies including the Red Cross have faced severe difficulties in assessing humanitarian needs and delivering aid due to restrictions from Myanmar’s military government.