UN envoy: Year of violence has hardened positions in Myanmar

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The new U.N. special envoy for Myanmar says violence has intensified since the military took power a year ago and sparked a resistance movement in the country. Noeleen Heyzer says all sides in the conflict have hardened their positions on “using violence as a solution.” She told a virtual news conference Monday that Myanmar’s situation is increasingly unstable and military operations including airstrikes have raised concerns about the protection of civilians. She said more than 400,000 people have become internally displaced due to the conflict. She expressed interest in a recent proposal for delivering humanitarian assistance but also was concerned about discrimination and whether aid would reach areas outside military control.