Resource information
In November 2010 the first national elections since 1990 were held in Myanmar. While
the party set up by the previous government and the armed forces retain most legislative
and executive power, the elections may nevertheless have opened up a window of
opportunity for greater civilian governance and power-sharing. At the same time, recent
fighting between opposition non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and government forces in
Kayin/Karen, Kachin, and Shan States, which displaced many within eastern Myanmar and
into Thailand and China, is a sign that ethnic tensions remain serious and peace elusive.
Since April 2009, armed conflict between the armed forces and NSAGs has intensified, as
several NSAGs that had concluded a ceasefire with the government in the 1990s refused
to obey government orders to transform into army-led border guard forces.
Displacement in the context of armed conflict is not systematically monitored by any
independent organisation inside the country. Most available information on displacement
comes from organisations based on the Thai side of the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Limited access to affected areas and lack of independent monitoring make it virtually
impossible to verify their reports of the numbers and situations of internally displaced
people (IDPs). Although the conflicts in other areas of Myanmar have probably also led
to displacement, the only region for which estimates have been available was the southeast,
where more than 400,000 people were believed to be living in internal displacement
in 2010. More than 70,000 among them were estimated to be newly displaced.
People displaced due to conflict in Myanmar lack access to food, clean water, health care,
education and livelihoods. Their security is threatened by ongoing fighting, including
where conflict parties reportedly target civilians directly. Although the limited access of
humanitarians to most conflict-affected areas has hampered the provision of assistance
and protection, the Government of Myanmar took a positive step in 2010 by concluding
an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the
provision of assistance to conflict-affected communities.
