Military’s earthquake response
a crime against humanity?
8 April 2025
The devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March has wrought
widespread destruction and immense human suffering, made far worse by the military’s
response, which repeats its heavily criticised conduct seen after Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
Although the military made a rare plea for international aid and belatedly announced a
temporary ceasefire, these gestures appear designed more to regain political legitimacy among
regional leaders than to provide genuine humanitarian relief.
Emerging evidence reveals a recurring pattern of the military obstructing vital humanitarian aid
and instrumentalising the disaster. This conduct raises serious concerns under international
law regarding whether it constitutes another crime against humanity.
The precedent set by Cyclone Nargis
In 2008, Cyclone Nargis left approximately 140,000 people dead in Myanmar. While some died
immediately from the massive four-meter-high wave, many perished in the days that followed
due to the ruling military’s deliberate obstruction of international aid, denial of access to relief
workers, and arrest of civilians trying to help. This systematic manipulation of relief efforts
transformed a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe.
International actors, including the European Parliament and the French Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, condemned the military’s response and urged the UN Security Council to invoke the
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine and intervene to deliver aid in Myanmar. The military’s
Nargis response serves as a crucial, and ominous, precedent for assessing current actions.