The political situation in Myanmar continues to pose a national security threat to the United States and constitutes a national emergency, US President Joe Biden said on Monday (local time).
"The situation in and in relation to Burma, and in particular the February 1, 2021 coup... continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on February 10, 2021, must continue in effect beyond February 10, 2022," Sputnik News Agency reported qouting Biden.
He officially extended the national emergency for one year and transmitted a notice on the matter to Congress.
Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 114 children since the military takeover last year, including 18 children in January alone, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday.
The UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the number of injured children has been significantly larger. Haq reminded the country's security forces of their obligations to uphold children's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Myanmar signed in 2019.
On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military seized control of the country in a coup, prompting nationwide protests. The military said it had to act because of election fraud committed by the ruling party and placed senior officials, including the democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, under arrest.
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar security forces with thousands of others arrested, according to the United Nations, amid a crackdown on strikes and protests which has derailed the country's tentative democracy and prompted international condemnation.
In a recent update, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said the conflict has intensified over the past month, with increased reports of army raids across Myanmar, especially in the northwest and southeast regions.
( With inputs from ANI )
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