The Irrawaddy

 

Sweden has announced it will end all development aid to Myanmar by 30 June 2026, redirecting resources to Ukraine amid shifting geopolitical priorities and deteriorating conditions under Myanmar’s military regime.

 

The decision, unveiled Thursday by Minister for Development Cooperation Benjamin Dousa, marks a significant pivot in Swedish foreign aid strategy. “Ukraine is Europe’s primary line of defence,” Dousa said, justifying the move as part of a broader restructuring to bolster Ukraine’s military and civil resilience. Sweden plans to allocate $4.2 billion annually in military support to Ukraine from 2026, alongside at least $1 billion in civil aid.

 

Myanmar’s civil society, already under siege since the 2021 coup, faces a deepening crisis. Rights group Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) described Sweden’s withdrawal as a “final and critical lifeline” being severed, warning that independent media and human rights organisations stand to lose $2.65 million in annual support. The group urged Sweden to conduct a conflict-sensitivity assessment and extend the phase-out timeline to avoid further harm.

 

Since the coup, Myanmar’s military has intensified its campaign of repression, with over 7,200 killed and nearly 30,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Just last Friday, a military airstrike on a boarding school in Rakhine’s Kyauktaw township killed at least 19 students.

 

Sweden has contributed approximately $176 million in development aid to Myanmar since 2021, with nearly half directed toward emergency response and the rest supporting conflict resolution, democratic participation, media, and human rights. Under the phase-out plan, Sweden’s aid agency Sida will disburse $18 million in 2025 and $15 million in 2026 before terminating all development cooperation. Humanitarian aid will continue unaffected.

 

The move follows a similar withdrawal by the United States, leaving Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement increasingly isolated. HRM warned that the twin exits could accelerate the collapse of independent reporting and rights monitoring, making abuses by the junta harder to document.

 

As Sweden shifts its focus to Ukraine, rights advocates are calling on other donors—including the EU, UK, and Australia—to step in and prevent a vacuum in Myanmar’s civil society support. The urgency is clear: without sustained international backing, decades of progress risk being undone.

 

-2025-09-15

They dont even care to ask US, "world greatest country and economy.".

Say a lot......