US cuts aid after Myanmar coup

 

On Tuesday, February 2, Washington officially declared that the Myanmar military had staged a coup and demanded the end of US aid to the government.

Using the former name of Myanmar, a US State Department official said: "After a careful review of the facts and circumstances, we have assessed that Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma's ruling party, and "Win Myint, the elected head of government, was ousted in a military coup."

"We continue to call on the Burmese military leaders to release them and all detained civil society and political leaders immediately and unconditionally," the official said.

Under US law, the United States will be banned from assisting the government, but the impact is not yet known, as almost all aid in Myanmar is provided to non-government networks.

Asked how much money would have to go through the government, the official said on condition of anonymity that "very little or almost none".

Myanmar's military is already under US sanctions over its brutal campaign against the Rohingya minority.

"Washington will maintain a humanitarian program, including for the Rohingya, but will also conduct a comprehensive review of our assistance to Myanmar," a State Department official said.