Key facts
- Myanmar's military intensified aerial attacks on civilians before the December 2025-January 2026 election.
- UN investigators found that all sides in Myanmar's civil war committed war crimes and serious abuses, including torture and sexual violence.
- The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) documented deliberate aerial attacks on civilian infrastructure.
- The military increasingly used drones and paramotors for low-altitude strikes.
- Evidence of arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence in military-run facilities was gathered.
Myanmar's military significantly increased aerial attacks on civilians and committed widespread abuses, including torture and sexual violence, in the year leading up to and during the December 2025-January 2026 election, according to a report by UN investigators.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) stated that war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the military and various armed groups have escalated. The report detailed a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on civilian infrastructure such as homes, schools, medical facilities, religious buildings, and camps for internally displaced people, with a notable increase in such attacks preceding the election.
Investigators also gathered substantial evidence of arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence occurring in military-run facilities. The IIMM is also examining allegations of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by anti-junta armed groups. The ongoing civil war, which began after the 2021 military coup, has resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths and displaced millions, with tens of thousands detained.
The election, which was managed by the military, was won by a military-backed party, allowing then-junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to assume the presidency. Western governments and rights groups have criticized the election as neither free nor fair.