UN appeals for funds to fight hunger in Myanmar

The UN World Food Programme warned on Friday it may not have enough funding for the next six months to help millions of people in Myanmar facing food insecurity amid a wave of Covid-19 infections and political unrest in the southeast Asian nation.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement it needs $86 million dollars to help fight hunger in the country, which is battling rising Covid-19 infections and has been in chaos since the military ousted an elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

"We have seen hunger spreading further and deeper in Myanmar," WFP Myanmar Country Director Stephen Anderson said in the statement.

The world's largest humanitarian organisation estimated that 6.3 million people in Myanmar could face food insecurity in the next six months, up from 2.8 million before the military takeover in February.

"It is critically important for us to be able to access... all those in need and receive the funding needed to provide them with humanitarian assistance," Anderson said.