The High Commissioner's report provides a harrowing picture of not only the scale of the Myanmar military's atrocities but also their escalation. The junta's use of airstrikes and artillery attacks has spiked dramatically, as has the tally of resulting civilian deaths.
In September's first two weeks, the military conducted a reported 66 aerial attacks in 10 of the country's 14 states and regions, killing an estimated 125 people. Junta forces have bombed a displaced persons camp in the Shan-Karenni border area, a school in Magway Region, and a detainee medical center in Rakhine State.
Civilians describe living in constant fear of attacks, arrest, and torture.
More than 100 civilians were killed by landmines and explosive remnants of war in the first half of 2024. Myanmar is one of only three countries using antipersonnel mines.
Hundreds have been killed and an estimated 887,000 affected by flooding and landslides from Typhoon Yagi. The junta's widespread aid blockages have exacerbated the impacts on people in a country where 18.6 million already needed assistance.
Human Rights Watch supports the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar's assessment that military abuses amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
But no one has yet been held to account.
We echo the High Commissioner's call for the UN Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court so that those responsible for atrocities can face accountability for the full scope of their crimes. The longstanding impunity in Myanmar should end now.
