United Nations– A senior United Nations official expressed hope on Monday that India could leverage its regional influence to help bring Myanmar’s warring factions to the negotiating table, amid escalating violence and humanitarian crises in the country.
“India is a nation of influence in Myanmar,” the official said, noting the worsening situation on the ground, compounded recently by a devastating earthquake. The country is already grappling with deep political instability, civil conflict, and an increasingly fragmented insurgency.
Describing the conflict as “diabolical,” the official outlined the complex nature of the ongoing crisis. “This is not a simple case of government versus opposition,” the official explained. “You have the Myanmar military, numerous ethnic armed groups, grassroots people’s defense forces, and a more formal opposition represented by the former National League for Democracy (NLD), whose government was ousted by the military coup.”
Despite widespread suffering and instability, the official lamented that all sides remain committed to military solutions rather than dialogue. “There’s a zero-sum mindset,” the official said. “Each faction believes it can win outright, or at the very least gain more leverage in future negotiations by capturing additional territory.”
Against this backdrop, the UN is looking to regional powers like India to help break the impasse. “I’m hoping that India can be part of a coalition of neighboring countries that inject some reason into this senseless conflict,” the official said.
The UN also voiced disappointment with India’s current stance on the Rohingya refugee crisis. India has taken a hardline approach toward the Muslim minority fleeing violence in Myanmar, resisting efforts to provide asylum or broader protections.
Still, the official expressed optimism that India might play a more constructive role moving forward. “We hope to engage more closely with India to explore opportunities for humanitarian cooperation and improved treatment of the Rohingya,” the official said.
The UN continues to push for a peaceful resolution in Myanmar through dialogue and regional diplomacy, while warning that continued armed conflict will only deepen the country’s humanitarian and political collapse. (Source: IANS)
