Despite the military’s announcement of a ceasefire, attacks have continued across the country, exacerbating an already dire situation, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Friday.

“In the days following the deadly earthquake that tore through central Myanmar last week, the Myanmar military continued operations and attacks, including airstrikes – some of which were launched shortly after tremors subsided,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“We urge a halt to all military operations and for the focus to be on assisting those impacted by the quake,” she told journalists in Geneva, reiterating Mr. Türk’s call for an “inclusive political solution” to end more than four years of fighting sparked by the junta’s February 2021 coup d’état.

Latest data from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, points to at least 61 reported attacks across Myanmar since the disaster happened, including 16 since the ceasefire announced by the military was supposed to take effect on 2 April.

A broad coalition of opposition armed groups has declared a temporary truce on offensive operations to facilitate emergency aid.

A broad coalition of opposition armed groups have declared a temporary truce on offensive operations to facilitate emergency aid.

The tactics of the military – known as the Tatmadaw in Myanmar – include using near-silent adapted paragliders to bomb communities, said James Rodehaver, Head of OHCHR’s Myanmar team:

“What those are is an individual military operative who uses a hang-glider with a backpack attached to his back or to his torso with a large fan on it and he uses that to essentially paraglide using the fan as a motor over areas and drop hand-held bombs or munitions onto targets below.”

UN relief chief arrives in Myanmar

Against this backdrop, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Myanmar on Friday to assess the scale of devastation and meet survivors and aid workers.

After briefings with humanitarian teams in Yangon, Mr. Fletcher travelled to Myanmar’s second largest city, Mandalay, near the epicentre of the quake, where 80 per cent of the buildings are estimated to have collapsed.

There, he met with frontline humanitarians and community organizations who have been leading earthquake response, applauding their “courage, skill and determination”.

“Many themselves lost everything and yet kept heading out to support survivors,” he said in a post on social media.

Security Council urges access

The UN Security Council issued a press statement on Friday reiterating the importance of a safe and conducive environment to ensure the timely and effective delivery of lifesaving assistance to all those in need, without disruption or discrimination.

“The members of the Security Council recognised the need to strengthen rescue, relief, and recovery efforts and to scale up immediate and rapid humanitarian assistance in response to the requests to help the people of Myanmar, supported by the international community,” the statement said.

They also expressed their gratitude and support for the work of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), UN agencies and the wider international community, including the swift provision of urgent life-saving assistance, rescue, and disaster relief.

Humanitarian response ramps up

Immediately after the 28 March earthquake, which struck just before 1 PM local time, UN agencies deployed teams to affected areas, delivering critical aid to tens of thousands of families and assessing the damage.

More than 25 search-and-rescue teams are in the field, medical teams have been deployed, and essential aid – including water and shelter kits – is being distributed across impacted regions. On Thursday alone, 30 tons of medical supplies arrived in Myanmar, bringing the total delivered so far to 100 tons.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has also provided plastic sheets and kitchen sets for 25,000 people and is mobilizing additional supplies for another 25,000 people from its existing stockpiles.

Massive needs

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of escalating health risks in Myanmar, with hospitals overwhelmed by trauma cases, disrupted health services and growing fears of disease outbreaks in displacement camps.

No one could have foreseen the destruction, Elena Vuolo, WHO Deputy Representative in the country told UN News, in an exclusive interview from the stricken capital Nay Pyi Taw.

“I experienced this firsthand when a colleague was injured during the earthquake. We took her to two hospitals – both of which could not treat her, [a third] facility did not even have the supplies to give her stitches,” she said.

“It was two hours after the earthquake, but the hospitals ran out of supplies. Nobody could predict the scale of the disaster.”

Listen to the interview here:

The UN health agency has also received reports of increasing cases of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) and fears loom over an outbreak of cholera in the worst affected areas.

Funding crisis hampers response

Alongside overwhelming needs, funds to ensure a response at scale are lacking.

To address the need for resources, the UN is leading the preparation of a new humanitarian appeal, aligned with the $1.1 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which currently has about 5 per cent of required funding.

The funds will be used to manage displacement sites and support vulnerable people in six impacted regions until the end of the year.

Mohamed Refaat, IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan, was speaking to reporters after returning from previously inaccessible Khartoum state, which is now back under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

War erupted between the SAF and former ally the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, and civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. 

Recent weeks have seen intense fighting around the capital city, Khartoum, which had mostly been under RSF control.

‘Unimaginable’ destruction

Mr. Refaat said that even he was shocked by the level of destruction in the city.

“Electricity stations have been looted; the water pipes have been destroyed. And I’m not talking about some areas. I’m talking about everywhere I went,” he said.

The veteran aid worker has served in other conflict situations, including Libya and Yemen, “and the level of destruction I have seen in Bahri, Khartoum, is unimaginable,” he remarked.

“There has been targeting of not only people’s houses, but administrative areas, not military areas, but all the basic infrastructure that can maintain lives for people.”

Massive re-investment is needed to help all those returning to the Sudanese capital after nearly two years of war, he said.

Horrors all around

Mr. Refaat described meeting Sarah, an elderly maths teacher, unable to flee the violence. Her days had been “filled with horror”, witnessing the loss of loved ones, seeing homes destroyed and being surrounded by the permanent threat of violence and sexual abuse.

“Sarah’s decision to stay was driven by necessity,” he explained. “As an elderly woman, it would be dangerous and challenging to go by foot, and she has no transportation.”

In the absence of funding, many non-government organizations (NGOs) have stopped working or reduced operations. Mr. Refaat insisted that there are many more people like Sarah who have received no assistance.

Funding crisis widespread

“Funding has dried (up) but not only from Member States, but also from diaspora and charity organizations,” he said.

He stressed that more humanitarian funding is urgently needed for medicine, shelter, drinking water, education, and healthcare.

IOM is seeking $250 million to assist some 1.7 million people in Sudan this year but less than 10 per cent of funding has been received. 

Families on the run 

The UN is gravely concerned by reports that civilians are fleeing Khartoum city due to violence and fears of extrajudicial killings after Government forces regained control of the capital, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday in New York.

Over the past week, some 5,000 displaced people, mostly from Khartoum, arrived in Jabrat El Sheikh in North Kordofan state, according to UN aid coordination office OCHA. 

Partners on the ground said families urgently need food, clean water, proper shelter and healthcare 

“Reports also indicate that others have fled Khartoum and other areas towards Um Dukhun, which is located in Central Darfur,” said Mr. Dujarric. The UN and humanitarian partners are working to verify the reports.

A wider trend 

The latest movements are part of a broader trend of conflict-driven displacement impacting multiple regions in Sudan, including the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.   

The overall situation across the country “remains complex and challenging,” he said, with civilians fleeing for their safety in some locations and trying to return home in other locations where basic services often have been decimated.  

OCHA is working to reach people in the South Kordofan capital Kadugli by facilitating the dispatch of a humanitarian convoy carrying nutrition, health and water purification supplies.  

However, the convoy remains stalled in Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, due to insecurity and bureaucratic impediments. 

Not a target 

On Thursday, UN humanitarian affairs chief Tom Fletcher expressed outrage over reports of escalating attacks against community kitchens and safe spaces run by volunteers. 

In a social media post, he stressed that the work of these frontline volunteers is vital to people’s survival after almost two years of war, underscoring that humanitarians must be protected and supported, not targeted. 

Mr. Dujarric reiterated his message. 

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we remind all parties that under international humanitarian law, they have a legal obligation to allow and facilitate rapid, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian relief for civilians in need, regardless of the location or the affiliation of these civilians,” he said. 

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has been at the forefront of the emergency response, delivering critical medical supplies and coordinating lifesaving care. However, hospitals are overwhelmed, medical supplies are running dangerously low, and aid workers are racing to prevent deadly disease outbreaks among displaced communities.

Speaking from the stricken capital Nay Pyi Taw, Elena Vuolo, WHO Deputy Representative in Myanmar, told UN News the situation was “an emergency within an emergency”.

“Even before the disaster, nearly 12 million people in Myanmar required healthcare assistance. Now, with this earthquake, the situation has worsened.”

More than 3,900 deaths and nearly 6,000 serious injuries have been reported, and there are concerns over potentially deadly outbreaks of cholera and malaria.  

“There are other needs – water, food, security and shelter that are becoming bigger. An already fragile outlook “has become even more fragile, an emergency within an emergency,” she warned.

In the interview, Ms. Vuolo details the scale of the crisis, the biggest health risks facing survivors and why urgent global action is essential.

Read the full interview below. The text has been edited for brevity and clarity.

UN News: It has been one week since the devastating 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar. Can you give us an overview of the current situation in the affected areas?

Elena Vuolo: Unfortunately, one week has passed, which means that our window of hope to extract and find people alive is narrowing because usually, the “golden window” is the first three days after an earthquake strikes.

In the first 24 hours, we at WHO mobilized supplies, including trauma care kits from our warehouse in Yangon and transported them for immediate relief.  

Over the past week, we have been working around the clock, alongside other UN agencies, emergency medical teams from abroad and our respective headquarters and regional offices to mobilize the response.  

Unfortunately, we have witnessed the collapse of several hospitals. This was already a health system that was overstretched and severely impacted by four years of crisis. The earthquake has only exacerbated the humanitarian and healthcare needs.

We are trying to deliver life-saving interventions, mental health support and trauma care…but we were already working in a fragile context that has become even more fragile, an emergency within an emergency

Right now, hospitals are overwhelmed. Despite emergency medical teams from various countries, there is limited capacity to properly treat all those in need – especially those with severe injuries requiring advanced surgical care.

UN News: You mentioned the strain on the medical infrastructure even before this disaster. Now that the earthquake has struck, what are the emerging needs you are seeing?

Ms. Vuolo: The most immediate and critical needs are surgical care and trauma care.

WHO has brought in almost 100 tonnes of supplies through humanitarian cargo over the past week. When you extract someone from the rubble, you need to ensure they receive the right surgery at the right time in the right facility.

One major challenge is that 86 per cent of healthcare facilities, including many hospitals, have been damaged by the earthquake.

Even before the disaster, nearly 12 million people in Myanmar required healthcare assistance under the humanitarian response plan. Now, with this earthquake, the situation has worsened.  

As of today, more than 3,900 deaths and 5,900 injuries have been reported. Our priority is ensuring that the injured receive trauma and surgical care.

UN News: What about other health concerns and diseases, especially outbreaks?

Ms. Vuolo: We are also working to prevent disease outbreaks, particularly cholera, which is a major concern due to poor water and sanitation conditions. Last year, Mandalay, one of the hardest-hit areas in this disaster, already reported cholera cases. Nearly half of the townships in Mandalay state were affected by cholera.  

In response, we carried out a vaccination campaign for 70,000 people, but due to limited vaccine availability, we were unable to cover all those in need. Given Mandalay’s vulnerability, there is a high risk of a cholera resurgence.

Additionally, funding cuts and reduced international aid are not helping. We are trying to deliver life-saving interventions, mental health support, trauma care supplies and preventing further disruption of health services.

There are other needs related to water, food, security and shelter that are arising and becoming bigger, because we were already working in a fragile context – a context that has become even more fragile, an emergency within an emergency.

Like it was during the pandemic, the healthcare workers are on the frontline – they are the heroes of an emergency response: the nurses, the midwives, the doctors who continue working every day under very difficult circumstances

UN News: What about the mental and psychosocial impact? Are you seeing significant challenges and are there support structures in place?

Ms. Vuolo: WHO has always prioritized mental health and psychosocial support, especially in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas. We work with various partners, either directly or through the health cluster.

Now, and this takes me back even to the times of the COVID-19 pandemic response – there are two main groups in need of support: affected communities, who have been traumatized by this unprecedented earthquake, and there are healthcare workers.  

Many are working in makeshift hospitals under extreme conditions – 39°C (102°F) temperatures in tents amid power cuts and without basic resources. They are working under very difficult situations despite their own personal losses.

Like it was during the pandemic, the healthcare workers are on the frontline – they are the heroes of an emergency response: the nurses, the midwives, the doctors who continue working every day in these temporary hospitals or in hospitals that are no longer fully functional and doing it in the best way they can.

To support them, we are providing psychosocial and mental health support to our health cluster partners. And then through these partners, we are also supporting community-based psychosocial support.

There is severe trauma. But let us not forget that Friday was one of the shockwaves. There was a shockwave on Saturday, and then since then, every day. Some of them are minor but others are strong.  

I want to be very honest – when I or WHO colleagues feel some shaking, we are very worried. And if we do not feel safe, I cannot think how people living outside their own houses feel, spending nights in temporary shelters.

A resident sweeps debris from a street in Mandalay, Myanmar, in the aftermath of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

UN News: What are the most urgent needs for WHO and health partners in terms of access and supplies?

Ms. Vuolo: Supplies are the top priority. More than 5,000 injured people need treatment, and many will require long-term recovery, including physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Additionally, patients with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or other chronic diseases, still need access to their medications.

I experienced this firsthand when a colleague was injured during the earthquake. We took her to two hospitals, both of which could not treat her. We took her to another, smaller facility that did not even have the supplies to give her stitches. She had an injury on her foot.

We found a solution and evacuated her to Yangon. But this gives you the sense of what are the needs are. It was two hours after the earthquake, but the hospitals ran out of supplies. Nobody could predict the scale of the disaster.

There is urgent need for not only trauma-related supplies but also essential medicines to prevent the disruption of routine healthcare services – for mothers, children or the elderly, and for diseases like malaria or tuberculosis.

In just two hours after the earthquake, hospitals ran out of supplies. Nobody could predict the scale and impact of this disaster

We have launched an $8 million flash appeal to cover a 30-day emergency response, but beyond that, we also need resources for long-term recovery.

UN News: You mentioned an $8 million appeal, but even before this disaster in Myanmar and elsewhere, aid agencies were struggling with funding. With the United States and other key donors scaling back, how much of an impact are you seeing? How can the international community help?

Ms. Vuolo: The first three months of 2025 have been a game changer for the multilateral system in general. Several countries are, unfortunately, prioritizing military spending over global health, and international humanitarian aid and development.

Until December 2024, Myanmar was one of the least-funded humanitarian crises. I do not want to say that Myanmar is neglected, but certainly Myanmar deserves more attention. With the aid cuts from the US and some other countries, we have not been able to operate. As of March, the health cluster had received less than two per cent of the funding needed for this year.

Now, the $8 million flash appeal is for a window of 30 days. This is to allow our critical work to continue providing life-saving supplies and disease outbreak prevention, like what we do in other emergencies – from Gaza to Afghanistan. This will also allow to continue early detection response for disease that could become outbreaks – particularly cholera.

But beyond this immediate response – and I am speaking also for other UN agencies in Myanmar – we will have to work on recovery on reconstruction. Hospitals and schools have been destroyed, where the situation is already so fragile and limited in its capacity, and people need protection. We as the United Nations have a role to play.

Now when resources are going down, we need to find innovative solutions and partnerships, including with the community and with the others in the region, since this crisis has regional implications.

In addition, we appeal to the international community to also advocate with those countries that have decided to undermine the global aid architecture to rethink about the consequences of their actions. We know that elsewhere, people are dying from HIV because funding for lifesaving medicines have been cut. It is not only Myanmar, but there are also several other emergencies that are facing similar dire situation like us.

That said, I must say – I am very encouraged by the international support, like the deployment of medical teams from different corners from the world, which provide much-needed medical care.