HIGHLIGHTS
Clashes in Shan displace more than 6,700 people in February and March
GoB closes 25 IDP camps in Rakhine following the resettlement of 25,000 IDPs
USG provides nearly $20 million to date in FY 2016
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Humanitarian needs in Burma persist due to ongoing localized conflicts, prolonged population displacement, and continued vulnerability to natural disasters, such as drought.
Clashes during February and March among the Government of Burma (GoB) military and armed groups in Shan State had displaced more than 6,700 people as of late March, according to the UN.
Below-average rainfall and higher-than-average temperatures, exacerbated by the El Niño climatic event, have resulted in drought conditions across Burma. Combined with the effects of the 2015 floods, which damaged thousands of dams, irrigation systems, water retention ponds, wells, and other water management systems, Burma is facing water shortages that are adversely impacting health and livelihoods.
To date in FY 2016, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided nearly $20 million to assist both internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burma and Burmese refugees and asylum seekers in neighboring countries, supplementing ongoing USG funding from FY 2015 to respond to humanitarian needs resulting from conflict and natural disasters, including the 2015 floods.