UN special rapporteur: Myanmar—s humanitarian crisis has worsened; elections a —sham—

Tom Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, told reporters in New York on Oct. 31 that humanitarian conditions in Myanmar have "significantly" deteriorated since his last report and that planned elections are a "sham." Andrews said roughly 22 million people now require humanitarian assistance while the number of people targeted to receive U.N. aid has fallen.

Andrews said the situation in Myanmar worsened after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake on March 28 that he said affected an estimated 17 million people, damaged about 157,000 buildings and left roughly 200,000 people homeless; he cited a World Bank estimate of about $11 billion in damage. "The military junta of Myanmar took that natural disaster and turned it into a humanitarian advantage," Andrews said, alleging systematic obstruction of relief deliveries and abuses including harassment of aid workers, confiscation of medical supplies and forced conscription of young people involved in relief efforts.

Why it matters: Andrews warned that rising need and falling aid create a widening gap. He said the United Nations— internal targeting for…