How Does Aid Change When the State Is the Perpetrator? A Comparative Analysis of Aid Responses by Intergovernmental Organizations and NGOs in the Myanmar Civil War

Key Points

• The study aims to analyze how aid responses from intergovernmental organizations and NGOs differ based on the type of violence and its perpetrators in the context of the Myanmar civil war.
• examined 72 townships in Sagaing, Kachin, and Rakhine regions as of February 2025
• utilized over-time data on aid projects and violence incidents combined with negative binomial regression analysis
• categorized violence into 'combat', 'non-state group violence', and 'government violence'
• In areas of combat or non-state group violence, both NGOs and intergovernmental organizations increased aid activities.
• Intergovernmental organizations significantly reduced their aid in regions where the government was the perpetrator due to respect for sovereignty and political dilemmas.
• NGOs tended to maintain or even expand their aid efforts despite government involvement in violence.