UN Investigation Finds Myanmar Military Escalated Airstrikes on Civilians Using Low-Cost Aircraft

What happened

DVB English reports on a U.N. investigation by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) revealing an escalation in aerial attacks targeting civilians by Myanmar’s military. The report details the army’s increased use of low-cost aircraft such as motorized paragliders (paramotors) and gyrocopters to conduct low-altitude airstrikes with unguided explosives, tactics that have raised the risk of civilian casualties.

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 yearlong inquiry, drawing from over 1,600 sources and witnesses, indicates that these aerial attacks intensified around the December-January military-organized elections and have continued unabated thereafter. The investigation also documents disturbing patterns of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and “double-tap” strikes—secondary attacks targeting rescue efforts and fleeing civilians, exacerbating harm to noncombatants.

Separately, the Arakan Army, a prominent ethnic armed group operating in Arakan State, reported that airstrikes attributed to the military killed approximately 20 civilians and injured 22 across three townships during early August. One attack reportedly involved up to eight aircraft over the course of about an hour. The Myanmar regime has not publicly responded to these claims or the UN report.

Known from the source

• The U.N.-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) conducted a yearlong investigation into alleged crimes by Myanmar’s military and armed groups.
• The IIMM found increased use of motorized paragliders and gyrocopters by Myanmar’s military to carry out low-altitude aerial attacks.
• A pattern of ‘double-tap’ strikes targeting first responders and fleeing civilians has been documented by the IIMM.
• The Arakan Army reported approximately 20 civilians killed and 22 injured in military airstrikes between August 1-11 in Arakan State.
• The Myanmar military did not issue an immediate public response to either the IIMM report or the Arakan Army’s claims.

What remains unclear

The military’s tactic of silencing paramotor engines mid-flight to glide silently toward targets reportedly leaves civilians little or no warning to take cover, as observed in Sagaing Region incidents. Meanwhile, independent monitoring groups estimate more than 8,000 civilians killed and over 31,000 arrested by Myanmar’s security forces since 2021, though such figures remain contested and politically sensitive.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verify independent confirmation of casualty figures reported by the Arakan Army. Confirm details of low-cost aircraft usage in attacks beyond IIMM reports. Seek any official response or denial from Myanmar’s military or government regarding the new allegations.

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.