When Aid Becomes a Weapon

The Impact of the 2021 Military Coup on Humanitarian Assistance in Myanmar

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Key Insights
  • . Does the long-standing belief that independent, international agencies are best suited to deliver humanitarian assistance still hold today?
  • . Aid approaches in Myanmar should emphasise locality rather than neutrality.
  • . The presence of a repressive military junta and numerous insurgency groups mean that traditional methods of aid distribution face many barriers to success. Hence, we recommend a humanitarian resistance approach.
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In this context, many international aid organisations are facing a humanitarian dilemma: to leave or to stay and collaborate with the junta?

Angelina Schuelke Angelina Schülke is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Governance at University College Freiburg, with studies abroad in Rotterdam and London. Before joining EPIS, she has worked with various youth organizations in the democratic and civic education sector, seeking to foster meaningful dialogue across disciplines and generations. In her research, she specializes in peace and conflict studies with a focus on South-South cooperation and human rights.

Will Pujol Will Pujol is a masters student at the University of Illinois studying urban planning and global studies. He holds a bachelors in international studies from Indiana University. His research focuses on genocide, particularly against the Rohingya of Myanmar. He currently writes for Illinois Global Review and is helping organize UIUC’s first Global Policy Forum. He will be returning to Indiana University to pursue a masters in international studies and to continue his research on genocide.

Cite this brief
Schuelke, A., Pujol, W. (2026). When Aid Becomes a Weapon. EPIS Insight · Human Rights & Humanitarian Aid.
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