Bi-weekly Update on the Current Situation in Myanmar (1-03-2026 to 15-03-2026)

Bi-weekly Update on the Current Situation in Myanmar

(1-03-2026 to 15-03-2026)

Over (61) months ago, on 1 February 2021, the military junta attempted an illegal coup, toppled the elected civilian government, and unlawfully detained State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other senior members of the civilian government, parliamentarians and activists. Since then, the military junta has ignored the will of the people of Myanmar, placed the country in turmoil, and made people suffer tremendously as a result of its inhumane and disproportionate acts.

Over 3.6 million people are being displaced. Almost 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Among them, over 10.4 million are women and girls, and over 6.3 million are children. 116,897 houses were burned down throughout Myanmar since the illegal coup until the end of 31 of May 2025, according to Data for Myanmar.

According to the UNDP, 49.7 % of the population in Myanmar was living under the national poverty line in 2023. Again, its report in June 2025 revealed that even in Myanmar’s commercial hub, Yangon, nearly half of the city’s population lives in poverty, and the economic collapse, displacement, and inadequate services are pushing more families into poverty every day.

Moreover, due to the complete dismantle of rule of law by the junta, transnational organized crimes including online scam, drug and human trafficking are rising across the country and generating security implication to the region and beyond.

Unfortunately, the suffering of the people has been compounded by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025. Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region and Nay Pyi Taw were among the hardest hits. Due to the earthquake, almost 4,200 people killed, over 3,680 people injured. Over 3.2 million people were affected. Infrastructures as well as houses and religious facilities were severely destroyed.

According to the data collected by AAPP, from 1 January to 15 March 2026, (281) people in total; (147) women and (134) men, were killed by the junta across the country, including (58) children under the age of 18. The identities of these victims have been verified. Among these deaths, Sagaing Region recorded the highest number of fatalities, totalling (69), followed by (63) people in Bago Region. During the stated period, the AAPP has also received information regarding the death of (288) civilians, as a result of junta attacks, whose identities have yet to be confirmed.

Amidst such suffering, the military junta has continued carrying out of atrocities, aerial and artillery attacks across the country.

War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Mass Murders Committed by the Military Junta

Junta aerial campaign kills over 100 and destroys more than 4,000 homes in Myingyan District

Mizzima reported that a sustained and brutal aerial campaign by the military junta launched since January 2026 has devastated Myingyan and Natogyi townships in Myingyan District, Mandalay Region, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people and the destruction of more than 4,000 homes. The Myingyan Township Humanitarian Committee, which compiled the data in cooperation with Mizzima, warned that the actual death toll is likely even higher than the figures so far confirmed.

The junta's aerial attacks have systematically targeted religious and public buildings, including monasteries, pagodas, and schools. The Myingyan Township Humanitarian Committee stated that more than 200 houses were destroyed directly by airstrikes alone. A local resident told Mizzima that there are fires nearly every day and that tens of thousands of displaced people are suffering, with nowhere to return to because their homes are being burned until nothing remains. Among the more than 100 people killed were children, approximately five monks and novices, and residents who died of heart attacks caused by the proximity of the bombings, despite not being struck directly.

Dozens of villages across the two townships have been burned or heavily damaged, including Chaysay, Kwansaik, Kansink (North), Letwe, Myingni, Sinkut, Tasoe, Male, Nyaungto, Kanhnaung, Ywagyi, Ywathit, Khansatgone, Lonedaw, Thamantaw, Kwinpyangone, Thanpo, Yonesingyi, Yonesinlay, Seto, Shwemadaw, Kwanohn, Incahung, Mangyisu, Hteinpanthitywa, Thamonekaing, Phone, Sanpya, Thaedaw, Layywasone, Letthamarkan, Pyathatgyi, Tazaung, Nabuaing, Pyitawtha, Thabyaythar, Taungshae, and Aungpyisoe. According to the Myingyan Township Humanitarian Committee, several villages including Ywathitgyi, Magyisu, Kanswe, Letwe, Myingni, Tasoe, Male, Talokemyo, Thinbawtin, Darguun, Nyaungpin, Pyar, and Khansatgone have been almost completely burned to ashes. The scale of destruction and the sustained, indiscriminate nature of the junta's aerial campaign in Myingyan District constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on attacks against civilian objects and protected sites.

Junta airstrikes kill at least 25 civilians at trading junction in Magway Region

Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reported that at least 25 people, including two women, were killed and 20 others were wounded during airstrikes carried out by the junta Air Force on a trading junction near Pyaung village, west of Mindon Township, Magway Region, on 1 March 2026. Around 14 vehicles were burned or damaged by the explosions. The strikes occurred twice on the morning of 1 March, according to Ko Myat, spokesperson of Thayet District Battalion No. 4, which operates in Magway Region.

According to Ko Myat, two fighter jet bombed a trading point on a road where local residents and truck drivers load and exchange goods. Search, rescue, and cremation operations were under way in the aftermath of the attack. A local media outlet reported that the bombs struck the area where traders exchanged goods between Magway and neighbouring Rakhine State, and that most of the victims were traders from Rakhine. Analysts noted that the trading junction had served as a critical supply point for goods entering Rakhine State, where the military junta has imposed severe trade restrictions since November 2023, and that the site was deliberately targeted. The deliberate targeting of a civilian trading site constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law's prohibition on attacks against civilian objects and indiscriminate attacks.

Junta drone strike kills four civilians sheltering in monastery in Mandalay Region

Mizzima reported that a targeted drone strike by junta forces on the Magyikan Monastery killed four civilians on the afternoon of 4 March 2026. The monastery is located in northern Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, and was serving as a temporary shelter for hundreds of internally displaced persons who had fled recent junta incursions in the region. The victims were identified as a 7-year-old child, a 35-year-old woman, and two elderly women.

A fifth victim, who was among several others seriously injured in the attack, later succumbed to their wounds. The Magyikan Monastery, like many religious sites across Myanmar, had become a refuge for civilians displaced by the junta's sustained ground and aerial campaign in Myingyan Township. The deliberate targeting of a place of worship and civilian shelter in the absence of any armed confrontation in the immediate area constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the protections afforded to civilian objects and religious sites under the laws of armed conflict.

Junta airstrike kills five at prisoner-of-war detention facility in Karenni State

Mizzima reported that a junta airstrike targeted a prisoner-of-war detention centre in Mese Township, Karenni State, on the morning of 5 March 2026, killing five people. The Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) confirmed that all five of the deceased were family members of captured junta personnel being held at the facility. The victims included an 8-year-old girl, three women, and one man. According to IEC Secretary U Banya Khun Aung, the facility was struck at approximately 11:00 am by approximately eight 200-pound bombs, which also left an unconfirmed number of others injured.

IEC Secretary U Banya Khun Aung told Mizzima that the victims were women and children captured from Hpasawng and that no active fighting was taking place in Mese at the time of the attack. He stated that the junta dropped approximately eight bombs believed to be 200-pound munitions into the facility. A Mese Township resident told DVB that they did not dare to check the scene for fear of further airstrikes. The facility is located near the Thailand border in Mese Township, which has been under Karenni resistance control since November 2023. The IEC stated that it was continuing to investigate the aftermath of the attack to determine the full extent of casualties. Rights groups and the Karenni IEC condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on a known detention facility housing protected persons, constituting a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

Junta troops commit mass killing of civilians in Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region

Local medias reported that junta troops committed the mass killing of civilians following a military raid in Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region, beginning on 5 March 2026. According to separate statements from the Karen National Union (KNU) and the National Unity Government (NUG), released on 9 March, four military columns each numbering approximately 100 troops entered the villages of Yaydwin Kone, Khayukone, and Kyaung Kone in Kyauk Kyi Township at approximately 5:00 am on 5 March. The combined columns comprised forces from Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 20, Infantry Battalion (IB) 264, and LIB 439 under Light Infantry Division 77.

After entering the Yay Twin Kone Village Tract, junta troops arbitrarily detained approximately 160 local residents, rounding them up at the village school and holding them as human shields. On 7 March, clashes broke out between junta forces and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). During the fighting, junta forces launched airstrikes using drones and fighter jets targeting the area where civilians were being held. The KNU reported in its 9 March statement that approximately 25 of the detained civilians were killed during the air attacks, while five others were reportedly executed directly by junta soldiers, bringing the total civilian death toll to approximately 30. The NUG reported 40 civilians killed in the same raid. The KNU also stated that junta troops entered Htee Phyu Lo Village in the same area and executed five local men aged between 35 and 53.

The KNLA and allied PDF forces subsequently launched a counter-operation, rescuing approximately 300 of the remaining hostages. The operation resulted in at least 10 junta troops being killed and more than 20 wounded, at the cost of 11 Karen and allied soldiers killed. Rights groups condemned the raid as an egregious violation of international humanitarian law, including the prohibition on the use of civilians as human shields and the deliberate targeting of protected persons.

Junta bombs prisoner-of-war detention facility in Rakhine State, killing 116

The Arakan Army (AA) reported, and many local medias subsequently confirmed, that 116 prisoners of war were killed and 32 injured on 8 March 2026 during a massive aerial bombardment by junta fighter jets and transport planes targeting a prisoner-of-war detention facility in the Daletchaung area of Ann Township, Rakhine State. An unspecified number of civilian prisoners were also among the dead and injured. According to the AA's statement, the attack lasted from 11:02 am to 2:28 pm, approximately three and a half hours during which the junta deployed four jet fighters and four Y-12 transport aircraft, conducting continuous and uninterrupted airstrikes on the facility without pause.

Among those killed was Brigadier General Myint Shwe, commander of Light Infantry Division 101, alongside several officers holding the rank of major and junta military medical staff. In video testimony released by Arakan Princess Media, surviving prisoner of war Brigadier General Thaung Htun, former deputy commander of the Western Regional Military Command in Ann, described the assault as calculated and ruthless. He stated that the junta had conducted multiple reconnaissance flights over the facility in the weeks preceding the attack and was therefore fully aware that the location was a prisoner-of-war detention centre housing high-ranking captured officers, their family members, and civilian detainees. He described how bombs first struck the prison wards, causing buildings to catch fire immediately, leaving those inside with no chance to escape and burning them alive. He told media that AA prison personnel and fellow detainees had broken down doors during the bombardment in an attempt to save lives, and described the scene as heartbreaking and deeply saddening.

Former junta army sergeant Thein Lwin, 56, with 34 years of service, also survived the attack and spoke of his dismay at witnessing the junta choosing to kill its own forces, while the AA had treated prisoners with what he described as brotherly compassion, including provision of medical care for the wounded. Hundreds of junta soldiers had surrendered to the AA following the fall of the junta's Western Command headquarters in Ann in December 2024. Rights groups and legal analysts condemned the attack as a deliberate strike on a known and protected detention facility, constituting an egregious violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which afford full protection to prisoners of war and protected persons. The Myanmar Peace Monitor noted that the 8 March attack resulted in the highest single number of prisoner of war fatalities from a junta airstrike recorded in the country. The AA stated that since losing vast swathes of territory in Rakhine State, the junta has frequently targeted AA detention facilities, killing hundreds of its own soldiers and their family members in the process.

Junta airstrikes kill over 30 civilians on Irrawaddy River in Kachin State

DVB reported that more than 30 civilians were killed and five boats destroyed in Hsinhskan village tract of Bhamo Township, Kachin State, on 10 March 2026, during aerial attacks carried out by the junta Air Force along the Irrawaddy River. According to Kachin News Group (KNG), on the evening of 10 March, three junta fighter jets simultaneously bombed alluvial gold extraction rafts near Hsinhkan, Namhkoke, Botown, and Myalel villages along the Ayeyarwady River. The airstrikes killed approximately 30 miners and set rafts and stored fuel ablaze in a massive fire. The bodies of many victims had not yet been retrieved at the time of reporting.

A resident of Hsinhskan village told DVB that fighter jets opened fire on the boats and along the shore, causing total chaos as people ran toward the bank. A separate Bhamo resident told DVB that the attacks caused five boats and the fuel tanks stored on board to catch fire, and that many residents in the surrounding area fled in fear of further airstrikes. Junta aircraft primarily targeted and concentrated their bombing on rafts near Hsinhskan Bridge, approximately one mile north of Hsinhskan Village. Local residents suggested the gold mining rafts were likely targeted by the junta because it suspected them of paying taxes to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). The deliberate targeting of civilian labourers engaged in economic activity, with no evidence of any military presence, constitutes an indiscriminate attack in violation of international humanitarian law. Search and rescue operations were ongoing, and the number of casualties was expected to rise.

Human Rights Abuses   

Report documents sharp increase in junta internet censorship during sham elections

A new joint report by Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) and the Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) reported that the military junta sharply increased internet censorship during the 2025 to 2026 sham election period. The report found that the junta blocked most public attempts to access independent news websites, severely restricting the flow of information about the electoral process to the public both inside Myanmar and internationally. The systematic suppression of independent media access represents a violation of the internationally recognised right to freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive, and impart information, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The report documented how the junta's censorship infrastructure was deployed in a coordinated manner to prevent independent scrutiny of the elections, which have been widely condemned by the NUG, ethnic resistance organisations, and the international community as a sham designed to legitimise military rule. The findings add to a growing body of evidence documenting the junta's systematic campaign to suppress the free flow of information in Myanmar since its illegal seizure of power in February 2021.

Junta forces and allied militia escalate forced recruitment in Shan State capital

Mizzima reported that residents in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi are being advised to avoid nighttime travel and exercise extreme caution as junta forces and the pro-junta Pa-O National Organization and Army (PNO and PNA) escalate forced recruitment drives in the city. Local sources reported that junta-aligned armed groups are conducting door-to-door searches and targeting young men for coercive conscription under the threat of detention.

The forced recruitment drives represent a continuation of the junta's coercive mobilisation policy, which since February 2024 has compelled men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve three to five years in military service. Human rights groups have consistently condemned the policy as a form of forced labour constituting a grave violation of international human rights law. The extension of forced recruitment activities to Taunggyi, Capital of Shan State, signals a further expansion of the junta's coercive conscription campaign beyond the frontline areas where it has previously been most heavily enforced.

Junta announces mandatory IMEI registration amid surveillance concerns

Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) issued an urgent security warning following the military junta's announcement that it will begin mandatory International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) registration through its new Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system. The MIP warned that the mandatory registration system poses grave risks to the privacy and security of users across Myanmar, enabling the junta to track, monitor, and identify individuals through their mobile devices.

Digital rights experts and human rights advocates noted that the IMEI registration system could be weaponised to identify and target dissidents, activists, journalists, and others critical of the junta, facilitating surveillance and arbitrary arrest. The deployment of mandatory digital identification infrastructure by the junta raises serious concerns under international human rights law, including the rights to privacy and freedom of expression. The junta has a well-documented track record of using telecommunications surveillance to identify and arrest political opponents since its illegal seizure of power in February 2021.  

Joint revolutionary forces capture Win Wa military camp in Tanintharyi Region

Mizzima reported that joint revolutionary forces, led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and local People's Defence Forces (PDF), successfully captured the Win Wa military camp in Thayetchaung Township, Tanintharyi Region, on the afternoon of 11 March 2026, following four days of sustained fighting. The Karen National Union (KNU) subsequently issued a formal statement confirming the capture of the outpost, which it described as a significant operational advance by resistance forces against junta positions in Tanintharyi Region.

DVB also confirmed the capture, reporting that the KNLA and allied PDF units besieged the outpost beginning on 7 March and seized full control on 11 March. The operation represents a further contraction of junta-controlled territory in Tanintharyi Region, where resistance forces have been expanding their operational footprint. The capture of weapons and equipment from the outpost was reported, though full details of seized materials were not confirmed at the time of reporting.

Resistance forces rescue hundreds of hostages in Bago Region

Myanmar Now reported that resistance forces rescued hundreds of hostages held by junta troops in Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region, during operations in early March 2026. According to a statement from the Bago Regional Command, 11 resistance fighters were killed in the operation in which over 300 people, detained by junta forces, were rescued. The rescued civilians had been arbitrarily detained by junta troops during the 5 March raid on the Yay Twin Kone village tract in Kyauk Kyi Township, during which the junta used the detained population as human shields.

The KNLA and allied PDF forces conducted a joint counter-operation to rescue the hostages, during which at least 10 junta troops were killed and more than 20 others wounded. Many of the homes in Yaydwin Kone and surrounding villages were found looted and destroyed by junta forces in the aftermath of their raid. The operation underscored both the scale of the junta's use of civilians as human shields and the active efforts of resistance forces to protect civilian lives in accordance with international humanitarian principles.

Women's rights groups call for accountability on International Women's Day

On International Women's Day, 8 March 2026, women's rights groups called for urgent action to protect women in Myanmar and to hold perpetrators of sexual violence and other grave violations accountable. The groups highlighted the arbitrary detention, torture, and killings of thousands of women since the 2021 military coup, as well as the ongoing and systematic targeting of women and girls through aerial bombardment, sexual violence, and forced displacement.

The groups also underscored the severe restriction of humanitarian access, which has compounded the suffering of women and girls in conflict-affected areas. They called on the international community, including the United Nations, to take concrete and sustained action to protect women in Myanmar and to ensure that those responsible for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law are held accountable through appropriate international justice mechanisms.

Activities of the National Unity Government and Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations

NUG condemns mass killing of civilians in Nyaunglebin Township

The National Unity Government issued a formal statement condemning the mass killing of civilians by junta forces in Nyaunglebin Township, Bago Region, following the 5 March 2026 raid on the Yay Twin Kone village tract. The NUG reported that 40 civilians were killed by junta troops during the raid and called for immediate international action in response to the escalating atrocities being committed by the military junta across the country.

The NUG characterised the killings as further evidence of the junta's deliberate policy of targeting civilian populations as a tool of collective punishment, in gross violation of international humanitarian law. The NUG reaffirmed its commitment to protecting civilians and to ensuring that those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity are held accountable under international law. The statement also called on the international community to impose targeted measures against junta commanders responsible for ordering and overseeing the attacks.

KNU condemns junta airstrikes killing over 50 civilians across Karen-controlled areas

Karen National Union (KNU) formally condemned a sustained campaign of junta airstrikes that has killed over 50 civilians and displaced thousands across KNU-controlled territories since February 2026. According to records compiled by the KNU, the junta launched more than 60 airstrikes in KNU-controlled areas throughout February and early March, with civilian casualties mounting across multiple townships.

In a separate report, a series of coordinated junta airstrikes on 11 and 12 March targeting villages in Dweiloe Township of Hpapun District, an area under the administrative control of KNU Brigade 5. At least four jet fighters carried out the initial assault on the villages of Pharwahta, Wetkhawpa, Winmaung, Malaykyauk, and Maepanwa, resulting in two deaths and 18 injuries. Two villagers from Pharwahta village were killed and 10 others injured in the bombings. One woman from Wetkhawpa village and seven villagers from Malaykyauk village were also injured. KNU Brigade 5 spokesperson Saw Kalae Do told Mizzima that the junta treats all areas it cannot control as enemy territory and bombs them with aircraft, killing those who resist and pursuing those who flee. He added that on the same day a church and a seminary in Ward 4 of Hpapun Township were struck by airstrikes, causing damage to both buildings. The KNU called on the international community to take concrete measures to exert pressure on the military junta to halt its aerial campaign against the civilian population.

Myanmar ambassador calls for international action as junta atrocities against women continue

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, called on the international community to reject the military junta's planned sham elections and take effective action to end the crisis in Myanmar, during closing remarks at a side event on Voices from Grassroots Women Peacebuilders, held on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York on 10 March 2026.

The ambassador stated that the situation in Myanmar has continuously worsened since the unlawful coup, describing the military junta as the sole perpetrator of atrocities and crimes committed against women and girls. He noted that the junta continues to violate international law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law, and that these atrocities amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, with women, girls, and children bearing the heaviest brunt both physically and mentally.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun warned that the junta's sham elections do not serve as a solution but as a threat and a shield for its own heinous crimes against the people. He urged member states, ASEAN and Myanmar's neighbours to take effective action in line with the aspirations of the people of Myanmar and engage constructively with all democratic stakeholders. He reaffirmed that access to justice can only be guaranteed by establishing a federal democratic union, and that the National Unity Government, ethnic resistance forces, and civil society organisations are working collectively toward this goal.

Myanmar ambassador urges international community to stand firm against junta as women peacebuilders lead resistance

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, called on the international community to remain steadfast and refuse to lend any legitimacy to the military junta, speaking at a side event on Myanmar's WPS Implementation and Justice Pathways, organised by Myanmar women's civil society organisations on 12 March 2026 in New York.

The ambassador stated that the people of Myanmar have resisted decades of patriarchal dominance and systematic exclusion of women and girls under an authoritarian system. Since the unlawful coup attempt of February 2021, the junta has intensified these abuses manifold, destroying the progress that had been made toward peace, stability, democracy, and socioeconomic development. He warned that the people of Myanmar continue to face grave dangers and that an entire generation is at risk of being lost.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun noted that the junta has staged sham elections in an attempt to conceal its atrocities, and is making futile efforts to convene an illegitimate parliament and form a body that does not merit to be called a government. He stressed that it is critically important for the international community to remain firm and not legitimise the junta's deception.

The ambassador paid tribute to Myanmar women-led civil society organisations, describing them as the backbone of the revolution and the true champions of the women, peace and security agenda. He underscored that the resilience of Myanmar women at the forefront of the struggle to end military dictatorship is immense, and that this resilience must be met with political will and effective action from the international community.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun concluded by calling on all to stand together in solidarity for justice, peace, and democracy in Myanmar.

Myanmar ambassador condemns junta's systematic violence against women, calls for targeted sanctions and rejection of sham elections

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, delivered a statement at the high-level meeting on violence against women and girls of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York on 12 March 2026, condemning the military junta's intensified use of systematic violence against civilians, with a disproportionate and brutal focus on women and girls since the illegal military coup of February 2021.

The ambassador stated that reports of the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, based on evidence collected, have confirmed that the junta's actions, including widespread sexual and gender-based violence, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. He noted that violence against women is being used as a deliberate tool of war by the military junta, and that for decades women in ethnic regions have faced these horrors, a reality that has since expanded across the entire nation. He further warned that the junta's conscription law has exacerbated the crisis, forcing women into a state of constant fear of abduction and exploitation, with over 10.4 million women and girls requiring urgent humanitarian assistance and millions displaced.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun shared the news of the official launch of the Myanmar Women, Peace and Security Position Paper, describing it as a landmark document produced through a unified effort by Myanmar women-led civil society organisations, encapsulating their collective security vision and their demand for a future free from military tyranny.

The ambassador called on the international community to match the courage of Myanmar's women with decisive action, stating that the decades-long culture of impunity enjoyed by the military junta must end once and for all. He urged international donors to move beyond traditional channels and provide direct, flexible, and sustained support to frontline civil society organisations and resistance authorities who are the primary responders to gender-based violence. He further called for immediate targeted sanctions and a complete halt to the flow of arms and jet fuel to the military junta in order to stop the junta's daily atrocities.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun stressed that the international community cannot allow the junta to conceal its international crimes through its sham elections, and that this attempt must be rejected unequivocally. He reaffirmed that the National Unity Government, ethnic resistance organisations, and civil society organisations are building interim justice structures that prioritise survivor-centred care and accountability, ensuring that even in the midst of revolution, the voices of survivors are heard and their rights are protected. He concluded by reaffirming the commitment to establishing a genuine federal democratic union where the safety and fundamental rights of every woman and girl are guaranteed by law and upheld in practice.

Response of the International Community

Justice for Myanmar urges Canada to investigate citizens linked to military-controlled enterprise

Justice for Myanmar (JFM) urged Canadian authorities, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to swiftly investigate four Canadian citizens linked to the pearl company Belpearl for allegedly continuing business with the military-controlled Myanma Pearl Enterprise despite existing Canadian sanctions against that entity. JFM warned that the ongoing commercial relationship may be generating revenue for the military junta, enabling it to continue financing its campaign of violence, aerial bombardment, and systematic repression against the people of Myanmar.

JFM stated that the pearl trade with the Myanma Pearl Enterprise, a military-controlled state entity, may constitute a violation of Canadian sanctions law and called on Canadian authorities to take immediate action to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute those responsible. The organisation urged the international community more broadly to close loopholes that allow individuals and companies to continue doing business with junta-controlled entities in defiance of international sanctions regimes.

United Kingdom addresses UN Human Rights Council on Myanmar crisis

Mizzima reported that on 2 March 2026, the United Kingdom addressed the UN Human Rights Council, expressing deep concern over the escalating violence in Myanmar and urging the military junta to immediately cease hostilities, allow unimpeded humanitarian aid access throughout the country, and release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. The UK statement reflected the continuing engagement of the international community with the UN Human Rights Council as a forum for addressing the junta's systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

The UK, which leads on Myanmar issues at the UN Security Council, reiterated its call for accountability for violations committed by junta forces and emphasised the need for coordinated international pressure on the military junta to halt its campaign of violence against the civilian population. Rights groups welcomed the statement while calling on the UK to translate its expressed concern into concrete action, including through stronger measures at the UN Security Council.

Burma Campaign UK calls for stronger UK approach at UN Security Council

Burma Campaign UK released a statement on 6 March 2026 calling on the UK government to adopt a new and more robust approach to the crisis in Myanmar at the UN Security Council, with a significantly stronger focus on human rights and accountability. The statement called on the UK, as penholder on Myanmar at the Security Council, to use its position to push for concrete and enforceable measures against the military junta rather than relying solely on procedural discussions and non-binding statements.

Burma Campaign UK called for the UK to champion a Security Council resolution imposing a comprehensive arms embargo on the military junta and cutting off the supply of aviation fuel that enables its aerial campaign against civilians. The organisation emphasised that five years since the junta's illegal seizure of power, the international community's response has been wholly inadequate in the face of the scale and severity of the violations being committed, and that a fundamental change of approach is urgently required.

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Date: 15 March 2026

Permanent Mission of Myanmar, New York