UN-Backed Investigators Report Escalating Brutality and War Crimes in Myanmar Conflict

What happened

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, reported on Tuesday that the conflict between Myanmar’s military and opposition forces is becoming increasingly brutal, with both sides likely responsible for serious international crimes including summary executions. The mechanism’s head, Nicholas Koumjian, described the regime as increasingly desperate while opposition forces act with impunity, based on findings from July 2023 to June 2024.

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. Koumjian highlighted a significant rise in aerial bombings by the military, noting a February 2024 incident in Karenni State where fighter jets killed four children and injured about ten when attacking a school. He also cited videos of extreme violence attributed to resistance fighters, including the beheading of two captured soldiers in Karenni State and the burning to death of two young men in Magway Region, indicating ‘incredible brutality’ on both sides.

The IIMM’s report, drawing on over 900 sources and more than 400 eyewitness testimonies, confirms that civilian targets such as schools, churches, and hospitals are frequently bombed, intensifying civilian harm across conflict zones. Koumjian characterized the military’s tactics as worsening despite ASEAN’s 2015 five-point consensus on ending violence, which remains unimplemented, with fighting escalating and civilian casualties increasing.

Known from the source

• The IIMM is a UN Human Rights Council-appointed investigative body created in 2018 to collect evidence of serious international crimes in Myanmar since 2011.
• The IIMM released its latest annual report covering July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, reporting increased armed conflict and serious crimes.
• Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, spoke to journalists in Geneva about the findings on August 13, 2026.
• Aerial bombings have increased substantially, with civilian targets like schools, churches, and hospitals affected.
• A February 2024 bombing in Karenni State killed four children and injured around ten during an attack on a school.

What remains unclear

Koumjian appealed directly to ASEAN, emphasizing its role as a critical regional actor and urging it to apply decisive pressure on the military junta. He stressed that statements supporting peace are insufficient without concrete measures to enforce a cessation of hostilities and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity documented at an alarming rate.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verification of casualty figures related to the school bombing in Karenni State. Authentication of videos showing executions and burning of civilians and soldiers. Independent confirmation of which parties carried out specific bombings and atrocities.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: DVB English. Open the source.