UN report says Myanmar military intensifies civilian air attacks with cheap aircraft
A UN-led investigation found Myanmar’s armed forces are increasingly using low-cost aircraft such as paramotors and gyrocopters to carry out airstrikes that have killed and injured civilians.
The United Nations-created Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar released a report indicating that the Myanmar military has escalated the use of inexpensive aerial platforms, including paramotors, gyrocopters and unmanned drones, to launch low-altitude attacks on civilian populations. Investigators highlighted a pattern of “double-tap” strikes that hit first responders and fleeing residents, worsening casualty figures.
The escalation was observed in the months surrounding the army-run elections and has persisted since. The Arakan Army, a major ethnic armed group in Rakhine, said its own monitoring recorded roughly 20 civilians killed and 22 wounded by air raids across three townships from Aug. 1-11, including an hour-long assault involving up to eight aircraft. The military-backed authorities have not commented on the allegations. The IIMM’s year-long inquiry, based on more than 1,600 witness accounts, also noted widespread arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence, and it is collecting evidence for future war-crimes prosecutions.
Why it matters
The report shows a widening pattern of civilian-targeted air attacks in Myanmar’s conflict, raising urgent human-rights and accountability concerns.
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