Myanmar torn by armed conflict and becoming a failed state, says UN envoy

UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener says Myanmar is heading in the direction of becoming a failed state (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

The UN special envoy for Myanmar has warned that February’s military takeover has led to armed conflict and if power is not returned to the people in a democratic way the country “will go in the direction of a failed state”.

Christine Schraner Burgener told a UN news conference on Thursday that conflict between the military, which took power on February 1, and civilians and ethnic minorities is intensifying in many parts of the country.