Myanmar's Struggle: Ethnic Conflicts and Humanitarian Crisis

Impact!

In today's episode, we take a deep dive into the escalating violence in Myanmar, particularly focusing on the persecution of ethnic minorities, including the Rohingya. With over three million people displaced due to conflict, we explore the historical and current context of Myanmar's turmoil and the long-standing ethnic conflicts that continue to ravage the nation to see where we might focus our prayers and intentions.

We cover the geographical and historical background of Myanmar, the roots of its civil war, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. We also discuss the plight of the Rohingya, described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as one of the most discriminated groups in the world. We highlight the challenges faced by other ethnic minorities and the complexities of their struggles against the ruling military junta.

As the UN reports a surge in violence and displacement, we focus our prayers and intentions on the wisdom needed by international actors and the newly appointed UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, to navigate a path towards peace. Join us in holding intentions for the people of Myanmar and the international efforts to bring about lasting change.

Following this episode, we will be taking a two-week break, but we'll return in mid-June with more insights and updates. Stay tuned and stay connected with us through our Facebook group and live intention holding sessions. Thank you for listening and for being part of our collective impact.

Suggested main focus for intention this week:

As UN Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop begins her term, we might bring our main focus for this week to the challenging role she faces in seeking a path to peace:

We will that UN Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop and all international actors who may have influence over Myanmar’s military junta leadership and warring ethnic groups, will have wisdom to know how to pursue a path towards peace in that country.

Please join us in holding this.

Chapter markers:

00:00:11

Initiating Change in the World

00:01:49

Understanding Myanmar’s Geography

00:03:00

Historical Roots of Conflict

00:04:22

Military Control in Myanmar

00:06:01

Ethnic Equality Struggles

00:07:50

Plight of the Rohingya

00:12:00

Other Persecuted Ethnic Minorities

00:13:47

Escalating Conflict in Rakhine

00:15:35

Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

00:17:23

Past Peace Process Failures

00:19:44

UN Special Envoy’s Daunting Task

00:21:04

Focus on Seeking Peace

00:21:54

Suggested Focus for Intention

Sources referenced in this episode:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60144957

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41566561 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/rohingya-crisis https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refugee-crisis-explained/ https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/stories/5-things-you-need-know-about-myanmars-humanitarian-crisis_en https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya https://www.tni.org/en/article/crisis-in-the-pa-o-region https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/myanmar https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/24/myanmar-no-justice-no-freedom-rohingya-5-years https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/02/three-years-after-coup-myanmars-generals-face-existential-crisis https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/rohingya-crisis-myanmar https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/8/bleak-milestone-un-says-3-million-forced-to-flee-in-myanmar-conflict https://myanmarcampaignnetwork.org/situation-update/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149991 https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/human-rights-situation-weekly-update-may-15-21-2024-enmy https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/8-%C2%BD-lessons-for-future-peace-in-myanmar.html https://www.9dashline.com/article/2023-myanmars-prospects-for-peace https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/05/20/can-the-new-un-envoy-avoid-past-mediation-failures-in-myanmar/

Join us in person for intenton holding:

https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls

https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.

Our websites:

www.heartfulimpact.com/ Our show website.

https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.

https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.

https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.

https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.

Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.

Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.

Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.

Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).

Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and please leave us a review. We're dedicated to people of any faith tradition or none who yearn for healing in our troubled world. Please pass on the word so others may join us in making an impact.

Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.