Half of Myanmar’s population could be living in poverty next year, driven by the combination of the pandemic and the political crisis sparked by the military coup, the UN said Friday. xThe dire warning came as renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic rebels sent more refugees fleeing across the jungle border with Thailand. UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said the crisis could reverse progress made since 2005, which has seen Myanmar halve the number of people living in poverty. The KNU have seized and razed military posts and the junta has responded with repeated air strikes in the rebels’ Karen state heartland. Thai and KNU officials said there were fresh air strikes and fighting on Friday.

Source: The Guardian April 30, 2021 13:52 UTC