The decision came after the country’s military chief sent a letter to Trump praising his ‘strong leadership’.
The United Nations’s top expert on Myanmar has sharply criticised the United States for lifting sanctions on allies of the country’s governing military regime, warning the move is a “major step backward”.
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, on Wednesday called the decision “shocking”. The US quietly removed sanctions on five individuals and companies allegedly tied to the regime’s arms trade on July 24.
“This is a major step backward for international efforts to save lives by restricting the murderous junta’s access to weapons,” Andrews said in a statement. “It is unconscionable to undermine these efforts by rolling back sanctions on Myanmar arms dealers and junta cronies.”
The move has drawn criticism amid an ongoing civil war in Myanmar, where the military, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, seized power in a 2021 coup that overthrew the government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
