Key Points:
- Over 6,800 civilians killed since the 2021 military coup; many more injured or displaced.
- Military junta continues indiscriminate aerial bombings targeting schools, monasteries, displacement camps.
- More than 3.5 million people internally displaced; almost 20 million urgently need humanitarian aid.
- Military uses increasingly brutal tactics including chemical weapons and armed paramotors.
- Ethnic minorities such as Rohingya face mass forced displacement and ongoing violence.
- The humanitarian situation is escalating with food insecurity, economic collapse, and ruin of basic services.
- Upcoming elections risk further violence amid fragile political landscape.
- International calls for justice and accountability grow louder amid ongoing atrocities.
Myanmar’s worsening crisis: What is happening to civilians?
As reported by Legal Action Worldwide on 31 October 2024, Myanmar’s population endures relentless military attacks following an unlawful coup on 1 February 2021. The military junta’s escalation of violence has led to over 6,200 civilian deaths alongside mass arrests and torture, including of minors. Entire villages have been bombed, hospitals, religious sites, and schools lie in ruins, and more than 3.5 million people are internally displaced, with almost half the country’s population requiring humanitarian assistance. A particularly tragic example includes the May airstrike on a school in Depayin Township, Sagaing Region, killing 20 students and 2 teachers during exams, despite no active fighting in the area at the time. This illustrates ongoing impunity as military forces violate international laws.
What have recent human rights reports revealed about the violence?
According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews in June 2025, violence is intensifying with more than 6,800 civilian deaths since the coup began. The Myanmar military controls less territory and is reportedly accelerating airstrikes on civilian targets including monasteries, schools, and camps sheltering displaced persons. Mr. Andrews detailed that air attacks have killed children even within supposedly safe internally displaced persons (IDP) centres. These attacks are part of a deliberate strategy to disrupt opposition supply lines, highlighting the junta’s increasing reliance on air power.
How severe is the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar?
The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan issued in December 2024 underscores the unprecedented scale of suffering. Nearly 20 million people—a third of the population—require urgent humanitarian aid, with vast numbers facing acute food insecurity and the near collapse of public services. Over 6 million children and more than 7 million women are among those affected. Around 3.5 million people remain displaced internally, many living in informal shelters with severe shortages in food, healthcare, and clean water. Additionally, over 1.1 million refugees from Myanmar now reside in neighbouring countries due to conflict and persecution.
What new trends have emerged in military tactics?
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported alarming new tactics used by the military, including chemical weapons and armed paramotors. Between February 2021 and May 2025, at least 6,764 civilians were killed, with nearly half the deaths caused by aerial attacks. Notably, the military has employed fertilizers attached to explosives and used near-silent paramotors to drop munitions with little targeting precision. Since December 2024, there have been 137 such paramotor attacks, creating additional terror and destruction for civilian populations.
What is the impact on ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya?
The Rohingya community, especially in Rakhine State, continues to suffer mass forced displacement and violence amid mounting hostilities between the military and the Arakan Army. Since November 2023, approximately 150,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, where nearly one million are confined in overcrowded refugee camps. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk lamented the recurrence of atrocities similar to those committed in 2017, describing the situation as “distressingly similar” and deeply painful to witness.
How is Myanmar’s civil war evolving politically and militarily?
According to Genocide Watch in February 2025, the civil war, sparked by the military coup, involves over 2,600 rebel groups confronting the junta. The military has lost significant ground but continues to escalate violence. Elections planned for late 2025 are fraught with risk, raising fears of further escalation or dangerous power vacuums if the junta falls. Regional powers like China remain focused on their interests, limiting coordinated efforts to resolve the crisis.
What are the consequences for Myanmar’s youth and future?
UNDP’s report from October 2025 highlights Myanmar’s youth as a “generation on hold” due to disrupted education and employment prospects caused by ongoing conflict and instability. The demographic dividend is slipping away as opportunities vanish amid economic hardships and continual violence, dimming hopes for long-term recovery.
What international response and calls for justice exist?
International bodies including the UN and human rights groups have issued repeated calls for de-escalation and accountability. OHCHR and other agencies warn that without an end to the junta’s brutal tactics and support for humanitarian aid, the crisis will deepen. Civilians inside Myanmar and refugees abroad demand justice and an end to impunity for war crimes. The global community watches closely as Myanmar stands at a critical crossroads amid worsening violence and humanitarian need.
