Geneva – The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has documented a pattern of alleged deliberate attacks on civilians, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence by Myanmar’s military, according to its annual report released Tuesday.
The report covers investigations conducted from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and describes an escalation in aerial attacks and other alleged crimes against civilians in the period leading up to Myanmar’s elections, which were completed in January.
The Mechanism said its investigations identified attacks targeting homes, schools, medical facilities, religious buildings and camps for internally displaced people. The attacks caused deaths, injuries and widespread destruction, according to the report.
Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Mechanism, said the evidence collected reflects the continuing impact of violence on communities across Myanmar and the need for those responsible to face accountability.
Aerial attacks increasingly target civilian areas
The Mechanism said Myanmar’s military has increasingly relied on paramotors and drones in aerial attacks, making strikes more difficult for civilians to detect and reducing their opportunities to flee or seek shelter.
Investigators said they had identified some of the military units responsible for the attacks.
The report does not provide a complete casualty assessment in the material released by the Mechanism, but documents deaths, injuries and destruction resulting from attacks on civilian locations.
The findings come as Myanmar’s conflict continues more than five years after the military seized power from the elected government in 2021. Fighting between the military and armed groups has continued across multiple parts of the country.
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Detention and sexual violence remain under investigation
The Mechanism also said it had collected and analyzed extensive evidence concerning arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence in military-run detention facilities.
Some cases were linked to a 2025 law criminalizing criticism of Myanmar’s elections. The report said numerous people had been arrested under the law and could face sentences of up to 20 years in prison or the death penalty for activities including posting critical comments on social media.
The Mechanism said most of the evidence it has collected concerns alleged crimes committed by Myanmar security forces and affiliated militias.
It is also investigating alleged atrocities involving armed groups opposed to the military, reflecting the Mechanism’s broader mandate to investigate the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar rather than focusing exclusively on one side of the conflict.
Evidence preserved for future prosecutions
The Mechanism said its investigations are based on evidence from more than 1,600 sources, including more than 750 witness accounts.
Investigators have also examined photographs, videos, audio recordings, documents, maps, geospatial imagery, social media posts and forensic evidence.
The evidence is being preserved and analyzed for use by authorities pursuing accountability through national, regional and international courts.
The Mechanism continues to share evidence and analysis concerning alleged crimes against the Rohingya with authorities involved in accountability efforts, including the International Criminal Court and proceedings in Argentina.
It has also provided evidence and analysis to the parties in The Gambia v. Myanmar proceedings before the International Court of Justice. The case concerns allegations that Myanmar violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention during the 2016 and 2017 clearance operations against the Rohingya.
Myanmar faces continuing accountability pressure
The Mechanism was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect, preserve and analyze evidence of the most serious international crimes and other violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011.
Its latest report therefore serves both as an assessment of alleged abuses during the reporting period and as part of a longer-term effort to preserve evidence that could support future criminal proceedings.
The findings add to the international accountability efforts surrounding Myanmar’s conflict, while the violence documented during the reporting period indicates that civilians continue to face serious risks from military operations and other armed actors.
For the Mechanism, the central challenge remains preserving reliable evidence while investigations continue and ensuring that material gathered today can be used by competent authorities when accountability proceedings move forward.
Source: United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), Aug. 11, 2026.
