The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) says an estimated 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the past six months as violence has spread across the country.
“We have collected a significant amount of evidence of horrific levels of violence and inhumane treatment across Myanmar,” said IIMM head Nicholas Koumjian.
“Innumerable crimes have been committed with the intention of punishing and instilling terror among the civilian population”.
In its annual report, based on the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, the IIMM said the conflict in Myanmar had “increased significantly” during the period and “more violent crimes were reported across the country”.
Investigators said they had gathered significant evidence of more widespread and violent war crimes, including airstrikes on schools, places of worship and hospitals; which are not military targets.
Myanmar’s military junta overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a military coup in 2021, ending 10 years of experimental democracy and plunging the Southeast Asian country into bloody instability.
The junta is struggling to quell an insurgency by armed minorities and pro-democracy forces that have long mobilized against their rule.
The report has been prepared by combining 2.8 million data from around 900 sources. Video, geospatial images and forensic data have also been taken into account while preparing the report.