Air Attacks Increased Before Election
Myanmar’s military intensified aerial attacks on civilians in the months before an election held in December and January, while all sides in the country’s civil war were accused of war crimes and serious abuses including torture and sexual violence, according to U.N. investigators.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said the frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar military and various armed groups had continued to escalate over the past year.
The mechanism, established in 2018 to investigate abuses in Myanmar since 2011, said violence against civilians increased ahead of the military-managed election held between December 2025 and January 2026.
The election was widely criticised by Western governments and rights groups as neither free nor fair. It was won by a military-backed party, allowing Myanmar’s then junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to become president.
Stay ahead of the geopolitical week.
MD Briefing delivers expert analysis across five global fronts — the Indo-Pacific, energy, geoeconomics, European security, and the Middle East — every Monday morning. Free.
The findings raise serious questions about the political environment surrounding the election, which took place while violence continued to intensify across the country.
Aerial Attacks Target Civilian Areas
The IIMM said it had documented a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on homes, schools, medical facilities, religious buildings and camps for internally displaced people.
There was a notable escalation in aerial attacks during the months preceding the election, investigators said, adding that the military increasingly used low-cost paramotors, gyrocopters and drones to conduct low-altitude strikes with unguided explosives.
Investigators are examining incidents in Sagaing Region in which pilots allegedly cut their engines before reaching their targets. This allowed the aircraft to glide silently and gave civilians little warning of the attacks.
“Communities across Myanmar are not only living under the constant threat of violence but are also coping with the profound and lasting impact of what they have endured,” said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM.
The findings point to continued risks for civilians even as the military sought to move the country through an electoral process.
Evidence of Torture and Sexual Violence
The investigators also gathered extensive evidence of arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence in military-run facilities.
The allegations include physical and sexualised torture as well as deaths in custody. The IIMM is also examining allegations of conflict-related sexual violence committed by anti-junta armed groups.
Anti-junta groups did not immediately comment on the report’s findings.
The investigation therefore highlights abuses involving multiple sides in the conflict, while placing particular attention on the military’s conduct and its aerial campaign against civilian areas.
Election Held Amid Continuing Civil War
The election took place against the backdrop of a civil war that began after the military coup in 2021, when the armed forces removed an elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The conflict has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced millions, while tens of thousands have been detained since the coup, according to the United Nations.
The IIMM’s findings suggest that the election did not coincide with a reduction in violence. Instead, attacks on civilians continued and intensified in the period leading up to the vote.
This creates a stark contrast between the military-backed electoral process and the continuing humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
Analysis: Violence Undermines Myanmar’s Political Transition
The timing of the increased aerial attacks is particularly significant. The IIMM’s findings show that violence intensified in the months preceding an election that was already heavily criticised by Western governments and rights groups.
Rather than indicating a clear move away from conflict, the continued attacks suggest that the political process was unfolding alongside an escalating security crisis.
The documented targeting of homes, schools, medical facilities, religious buildings and displacement camps also demonstrates the extent to which civilians remain exposed to the conflict.
At the same time, allegations of torture, deaths in custody and sexual violence demonstrate that the abuses extend beyond the battlefield and into detention facilities and communities affected by the war.
The report’s findings therefore underline the gap between Myanmar’s electoral process and conditions on the ground. An election held amid continuing attacks, mass displacement and allegations of serious abuses does little by itself to demonstrate that the country’s underlying conflict has been resolved.
For Myanmar’s civilians, the central issue remains the continuation of violence. Until attacks and serious abuses decline, the country’s political transition will remain overshadowed by the conflict that has already displaced millions and caused an estimated 100,000 deaths.
With information from Reuters.
