The U.S. has committed to providing an additional $116 million in aid to people impacted by humanitarian crises in Myanmar, Bangladesh and the surrounding region.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday that the package aims to provide critical resources to nearly one million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, many of whom fled genocide in Myanmar, and to more than a million of their Bangladeshi hosts.

According to ACLED, an international data mapping group, Myanmar in 2022 was by far the worst country in terms of state-sponsored political violence against civilians, with 1,639 reported instances. The aid will help those displaced and endangered by Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021.

Over the past two years, Myanmar’s regime has been cracking down on dissidents and ousting democratic politicians and diplomats left over from the previous government. 

Myanmar’s U.N. ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who had been appointed before the 2021 coup, says he intends to remain in his role for another year. The junta has accused him of betraying national interests and claims he no longer represents the country.

The dispute spotlights widespread political upheaval in Myanmar as the General Assembly convenes this week in New York City, with Tun in attendance on behalf of the dismantled democracy.

Accounting for the latest funding, the U.S., since 2017, has provided $2.2 billion in humanitarian support to Myanmar, Bangladesh and other nations in the region. 
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