The top UN official in Myanmar has harshly criticized the US for lifting sanctions against allies of the country’s ruling military regime, calling it a “major step backward”
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, described the decision as “shocking.” On July 24th, the US quietly lifted sanctions against five individuals and businesses allegedly connected to the regime’s arms trade.
According to Andrews, “This is a significant step backward in international efforts to save lives by restricting the murderous junta’s access to weapons.” By reversing sanctions against Myanmar’s arms dealers and junta cronies, it is “unconscionable to undermine these efforts.”
In a 2021 coup that overthrew the Aung San Suu Kyi government, senior general Min Aung Hlaing led the military to take control of the country, which has sparked criticism for the decision.
According to Andrews, the businesses that were put on the sanctions list were connected to the regime’s military operations.
According to Andrews, “the sanctions against the junta are proving to be effective,” adding that data from the years 2023 to 2024, which he attributed in part to US-led sanctions, makes this action even more appalling.
The move comes despite US President Trump’s statement in February that extended the executive order enshrined Myanmar-related sanctions, saying the 2021 coup “continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.
The US representative also claimed that the military regime bombed civilians and enlisted Rohingya to fight on its behalf in a statement to the UN in June.
Two weeks after Myanmar’s military chief praised US President Donald Trump in a glowing letter, the government made the decision to ease sanctions. The president’s administration defunded US-backed media outlets that criticize the regime, according to the general in the letter.
The administration’s top official claimed that the sanctions decision had no bearing given the letter.
However, critics claim that the timing is troubling. The action, according to John Sifton, director of human rights watch’s Asia advocacy division, “suggests a major shift is underway in US policy, which had focused on punitive action against Myanmar’s military regime.”
Andrews urged the Trump administration to change course. The US should be expanding the sanctions to Myanmar Economic Bank, the important financial institution that the country relies on to pay for imported military equipment, rather than removing them.
Source: Aljazeera
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