Myanmar Regime Rejects UN Probe Over Election Airstrikes and Alleged Atrocities

What happened

The Myanmar regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly rejected the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) on September 9, responding to the IIMM’s 2026 Annual Report issued on August 11. The IIMM’s lead investigator Nicholas Koumjian had presented the report at the UN Human Rights Council’s 63rd session in Geneva earlier that week. The regime described the report as "one-sided allegations against the Myanmar military from opposition groups," stating that Myanmar has never recognized IIMM since its establishment in 2018 and accusing the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of creating the mechanism without Naypyidaw’s consent.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The IIMM’s report details an escalation in aerial attacks targeting civilians ahead of the 2025-26 national elections, documenting strikes between December 28, 2025, and January 25, 2026. It further reports an increase in airstrikes in areas scheduled for voting and the arrest of civilians critical of the regime’s electoral process. However, the Myanmar regime claims these airstrikes only targeted military positions and were retaliatory responses against what it terms "terrorist groups," referring to resistance forces controlling seized towns and villages.

DVB’s own data corroborates significant violence during this period: at least 1,684 fatalities and 3,650 injuries related to more than 2,200 aerial attacks have been documented since the March 28, 2025 earthquake, including airstrikes and drone or paramotor assaults. Arrests and prosecutions under Election Protection laws have also been frequent, with at least 18 jailed and 269 charged since July 29, 2025, including harsh sentences for pro-democracy activists in Mandalay Region.

Known from the source

• Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the IIMM and its 2026 Annual Report on September 9, 2026.
• IIMM lead investigator Nicholas Koumjian presented the report to the UN Human Rights Council on September 7-9, 2026.
• IIMM’s mandate includes collecting evidence of serious international crimes in Myanmar since 2011.
• The report alleges increased aerial attacks on civilians between December 28, 2025, and January 25, 2026.
• Myanmar regime claims airstrikes targeted military objectives in response to resistance forces’ control of locations.

What remains unclear

Koumjian acknowledged to DVB that proving intentional targeting of civilians by regime airstrikes is challenging, yet stressed civilians suffer disproportionately compared to combatants. The IIMM continues to collect extensive evidence from over 1,600 sources and 750 witness testimonies to support potential future prosecutions at international courts such as the ICC and ICJ.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Independent verification of casualty figures from the airstrikes reported by DVB and IIMM. Verification of the exact nature of the airstrike targets—distinguishing civilian and military objects. Clarification on any new or updated statements by the Myanmar regime or resistance groups regarding the airstrikes.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: DVB English. Open the source.