UN Report Details Death, Destruction, and Desperation in Myanmar

A new report from the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reveals a dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, with widespread death, destruction, and desperation, particularly for the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The report, published on the organization’s website, states that the violence mirrors the atrocities committed in 2017, when a brutal military crackdown forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee the country.

Since the 2021 military coup, credible sources have verified the killing of approximately 7,100 people by the military. This includes a May 2025 airstrike on a school that killed 24 civilians. The violence has been particularly severe in Rakhine State, where both Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities are suffering from indiscriminate attacks, forced displacement, and forced recruitment by both the military and the Arakan Army.

The report estimates that since November 2023, around 150,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Bangladesh, joining the nearly one million who have already been displaced. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk noted that both communities are trapped in an “endless cycle of suffering” due to the near-complete impunity with which the armed groups operate.

The report also raises concerns about the humanitarian situation, noting that roughly one-third of Myanmar’s population—15.2 million people—is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025. The UN is calling for urgent action, including a full referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold those responsible for violations of international law to account and an arms embargo to protect the people of Myanmar.

In addition to traditional methods of warfare, the report highlights new trends, such as the use of chemicals in explosive devices and the use of armed paramotors to target civilian locations. In light of these grave violations of international law, the High Commissioner is reiterating previous calls for the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for investigation and to hold those responsible to account.