ND Burma
ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.
Recent Posts
- Myanmar military escalates civilian killings, monitor warns, amid diplomatic push
- KWAT 2025 yearly activity report
- UN Special Envoy on Myanmar calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
- Political Prisoners Must Be Free: A Statement on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 81st Birthday
- From the Ground Up: Local Calls for Safety and Protection in Southeastern Burma
Myanmar military escalates civilian killings, monitor warns, amid diplomatic push
/in NewsBy Reuters
July 27 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since a new administration took office in the war-torn country, a conflict monitor said on Monday, even as regional governments ramp up diplomatic engagement.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said the onslaught was a result of the tactics deployed by Myanmar’s new military chief who took over in late March as his predecessor prepared to become the country’s president.
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“Since the ruling junta in Myanmar reconfigured its military command structure in March, civilians have been subject to the military’s worsening repression and intensified aerial bombing campaign,” ACLED said.
“These adjustments included the regular deployment of specialised groups of two to five jet fighters executing sustained airstrikes against single targets.”
A Myanmar government spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.
ACLED gathers data on Myanmar’s ongoing conflict from media reports and local partners, as well as reports by the UN, international monitoring groups and local human rights organisations.
Myanmar was plunged into turmoil after the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi‘s elected government in February 2021, sparking a civil war that has killed some 100,000 people and displaced millions.
Days before becoming president after an election that banned most opposition, Min Aung Hlaing appointed long-time loyalist and former spymaster Ye Win Oo as the military’s new commander-in-chief.
Under his command, the military has launched renewed offensives into several border regions, including a frontier area with critical rare earth deposits and other vital trade routes.
“Reprieve for civilians is unlikely as the junta focuses its efforts on consolidating control following coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s transition from commander of the military to civilian president in April,” ACLED said.
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/MYANMAR-CONFLICT/klvyobgorvg/media-embed.html
MASS KILLINGS
During the first half of 2026, ACLED said it recorded more than a dozen mass killings, resulting in over 450 civilian fatalities, around 40% of them in Myanmar’s central dry zone known as the Anyar region.
In May, hundreds of junta troops swept through parts of Myit Chay township, across the river from the ancient temples of Bagan, killing at least 40 people, three residents of the area told Reuters.
“About 700 soldiers came into the town, grabbed the belongings of the people here and then beat them and killed them,” said Ye Naung, 35.
Reuters could not independently verify accounts of the incident at Myit Chay, which is part of ACLED’s event database with at least five fatalities and was reported by local media.
“The military’s tactics in 2026 so far show merely shifting modalities of civilian repression rather than any reduction in its severity,” ACLED said.
The political transition in Myanmar has triggered a flurry of diplomacy, with Min Aung Hlaing travelling to key neighbours India and China.
There has also been tentative re-engagement with the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, which barred Myanmar’s ruling generals from its summits after the coup.
Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Thailand on August 6 to 7, as he pushes for further legitimacy.
(This story has been refiled to add Reuters to the dateline)
Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Devjyot Ghoshal and Kate Mayberry
KWAT 2025 yearly activity report
/in ND-Burma Members' Reports“We are pleased to share with you KWAT’s 2025 Annual Report, which highlights our efforts to promote the rights, safety, and dignity of women and communities affected by conflict in Kachin and Northern Shan States.”
UN Special Envoy on Myanmar calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
/in NewsThe United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, delivered a scathing indictment of Myanmar over five years after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, to the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on June 19.
Bishop’s address at U.N. Headquarters coincided with the 81st birthday of jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The former Australian Foreign Minister presented a grim report on the complete breakdown of the rule of law across regime-controlled Myanmar.
A grim list of international records
In her speech to U.N. member states, Bishop painted a picture of a collapsing nation where deep-seated instability has created a sprawling vacuum exploited by transnational criminal organizations.
Instead of a localized civil crisis, Bishop warned that the consequences are actively bleeding past Myanmar’s borders with devastating global implications. According to her findings, Myanmar is now setting global records for human suffering and criminality:
Exposing the 2025-26 ‘sham’ elections
The Special Envoy used her address to firmly dismiss Naypyidaw’s claims that a transition to civilian normalcy is underway. Bishop walked member states through the political maneuvering orchestrated over the last six months.
A three-phase general election concluded on Jan. 25, resulting in a predictable landslide victory for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)—the political proxy of the military.
When combined with the 25 per cent of parliamentary seats constitutionally locked for military appointees, Bishop noted the process further entrenched the military’s grip over the population rather than offering a path toward democracy.
Bishop clarified that the U.N. completely refused to support, fund, or observe the electoral process in Myanmar.
“Many on the ground described tight security, a reduced electorate, the exclusion of major political parties, low turnout, and polls conducted in the midst of an ongoing armed conflict,” Bishop reported.
“The overall outcome is viewed by Myanmar’s stakeholders as a consolidation of power for the military, not a transition to civilian government.”
Demanding ‘Proof of Life’ for Aung San Suu Kyi
Bishop addressed her fourth diplomatic mission to Myanmar, where she met with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing. She noted that while he sought goodwill through the recent release of President Win Myint, his continued isolation of other elected officials is unacceptable.
Focusing heavily on the 81st birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, Bishop demanded that international actors stop engaging with the regime in Naypyidaw based strictly on economic self-interest while the country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi is hidden from view.
“There have been no independent, verifiable reports of her circumstances for years. Today, on her 81st birthday, I urge others to join with me in calling for her release. In the eyes of many, there can be no progress to peace while ever State Counsellor Daw Suu is held prisoner.”
The UN vows to ‘stay and deliver’
Looking forward, Bishop emphasized the critical importance of regional cohesion, highlighting her ongoing collaboration with the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair the Philippines’ Special Envoy Theresa Lazaro, and looking ahead to Singapore’s 2027 chairmanship.
Despite escalating hate speech against refugees, intense military operations, and the compounding structural trauma of the catastrophic 2025 Myanmar earthquake, Bishop concluded her briefing with a firm message that the international body would not withdraw its aid networks.
“The calls of the General Assembly and Security Council have been ignored,” Bishop stated. “But the United Nations, through its agencies, funds, and programs, will stay and deliver in Myanmar despite immense challenges. The international community must remain steadfast in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and be guided by their appeals for help.”
DVB News
Political Prisoners Must Be Free: A Statement on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 81st Birthday
/in Member statementsPolitical Prisoners Must Be Free: A Statement on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 81st Birthday
This 19th June, 2026, marks the 81st birthday of Burma’s State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She has spent around 20 years in detention or under house arrest since 1989 for her participation in politics and her longstanding commitment to democracy in Burma.
The continued detention of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, stands as evidence of the junta’s ongoing efforts to overturn democratic outcomes, nullify the will of the electorate, and deny the people of Burma their fundamental right to choose their own government.
On her 81st birthday, we reiterate calls for key stakeholders, including ASEAN Members, governments, UN mandates and domestic actors to,
• Demand Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate and unconditional release along with all other political prisoners, not merely in words but through concrete, coordinated pressure on the junta to act;
• Support the Proof of Life campaign, ensure her family is granted immediate access and independent observers are permitted to verify her condition without delay; and
• Reaffirm that any political process excluding Burma’s democratically elected representatives lacks legitimacy and must not be recognized by key stakeholders.
“Now, all revolutionary forces must unite to secure the release of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners.”
english
From the Ground Up: Local Calls for Safety and Protection in Southeastern Burma
/in Member statementsThe Human Rights Foundation of Monland Releases a New Report:
From the Ground Up: Local Calls for Safety and Protection in Southeastern Burma
For Immediate Release
18 June 2026
A new report from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) released today
highlights local demands for peaceful democratic reform and peace in Burma. The report
features testimonies and case studies from ‘From the Ground Up: Local Calls for Safety and
Protection in Southeastern Burma,’ which include appeals to revolutionary and resistance
armed groups, interim federal authorities, and the National Unity Government. Five years
after the unsuccessful coup, residents in HURFOM’s focus areas—Mon State, Karen State,
and the Tanintharyi Region—are seeking answers.
The most pressing concern shared was protection. With millions displaced across the
country, the junta’s attacks are displacing people at a volatile and increasing rate. While
revolutionary groups are working to resist these assaults and defend communities in their
controlled areas, those affected by daily hostilities want to know that systems, plans and
effective coordination are in place to prioritize and safeguard their safety. The most
vulnerable are carrying the burden of the struggle.
Although the spirits of the various pro-democracy movements remain unbroken, they
have encountered significant challenges. Unlawful attacks against human rights
defenders, as well as on places of worship, schools, clinics, and others, have targeted
everyone. Burma’s dictatorship persists due to impunity, and the international community
has been slow to react to the crisis’s urgency.
Emerging federal governments and institutions are working to challenge the junta’s
legitimacy while aiming to govern in accordance with federal ideals. Meanwhile, local
populations find themselves caught in the conflict between stakeholders. The formation of
new governance bodies during fragile interactions has led to increased caution among
residents. These concerns are becoming more prominent, especially regarding
accountability and oversight of policies intended to prioritize civilian safety.
Further, this report examines the intricacies and complexities in greater detail and
ultimately concludes that communities do not want to live only as victims. They want to
survive, but they also want to rebuild. They want local systems that are safer, fairer, and
more accountable than what they experienced under military rule. They want federal
governance to mean something in daily life, not only in political speeches. For villagers,
federalism begins when local leaders listen.
Media Contact
Nai Aue Mon, HURFOM Program Director
Email: auemon@rehmonnya.org
Signal: +66 86 167 9741
FROM THEGROUND UP
/in ND-Burma Members' ReportsToday, HURFOM releases our latest report, ‘From the Ground Up,’ which highlights local demands for democratic reform and peace in Burma. Five years after the unsuccessful coup, those in our targeted areas are seeking answers.