UN: Human Rights Situation in Myanmar 'Plunges to New Lows'
Al Jazeera Staff
A new UN report reveals that human rights in Myanmar have 'plunged to new lows' amid escalating abuses against the Rohingya and unregulated resource exploitation. At least 8,075 civilians have been killed since the 2021 coup, with 3.6 million displaced and 12.4 million facing severe hunger.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a new report on August 26, stating that the human rights situation in Myanmar has "plunged to new lows" due to "increasingly brutal abuses" against the Rohingya and the devastating impact of illegal economic activities, including unauthorized rare earth mining.
The report said the Myanmar military's race for control and legitimacy—having seized power in a 2021 coup—has only deepened the suffering of the people in this Southeast Asian nation.
The military has used tactics such as "airstrikes, arson, forced displacement, and denial of aid" against civilians while fighting ethnic armed groups and militias to control the resource-rich country.
According to data in the report, at least 8,075 civilians, including 1,074 children, are estimated to have been killed since the coup, with at least 1,241 of those deaths occurring in the past year. However, the actual number may be higher, as open sources suggest the death toll could reach 15,731, with 3,102 in the last year alone.
Violence has also displaced up to 3.6 million people. Nearly 12.4 million people face severe hunger, while 400,000 young children and mothers suffer from acute malnutrition.
In western Rakhine State, the military and the Arakan Army—a powerful ethnic armed group they are fighting—continue to commit serious, systematic violations and abuses against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya. Ongoing violence, nine years after the brutal crackdown that forced about 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, has triggered a new wave of displacement.
The report also accuses the Arakan Army of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, forced labor, recruitment, and destruction of villages and religious sites. As Rohingya attempt to evade forced recruitment, they are detained and "frequently mistreated," with former detainees describing beatings, fingernail removal, and having chili applied to their genitals.
OHCHR noted that the absence of law in Myanmar has led to a booming illegal economy, with unauthorized rare earth mining in northern Kachin State and northeastern Shan State strengthening the expansion of transnational criminal networks. Satellite imagery confirms Kachin State as a major rare earth mining area, with 302 new mining sites since 2021—a 149% increase.
Waste from mining activities pollutes the environment, affecting maternal and reproductive health, with a sharp rise in miscarriages and other pregnancy complications linked to heavy metal and chemical exposure.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called the findings deeply alarming. "This report paints a picture of suffering, misery, and cruelty at many levels and across the country, which is heartbreaking," Turk said.
The High Commissioner urged states, companies, and investors to reconsider their involvement with Myanmar's authorities. "I call on all states, companies, and investors to question their conscience about their actions—or inactions—and ask: is this fair and right for the people of Myanmar?"
