Burma’s Descent: War Crimes, Human Suffering, and the Unraveling of a Military Regime
Introduction
Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, Burma (Myanmar) has plunged into an unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis. What began as a power seizure by General Min Aung Hlaing has morphed into a nationwide resistance movement met with a brutal campaign of state violence. Over 6,800 civilians have been killed, more than 22,000 political prisoners remain behind bars for the mere act of speaking out, and 3.5 million people are now displaced. Entire towns have been bombed, monasteries and schools targeted, and humanitarian aid weaponized against the very people it was meant to protect. The situation is no longer one of political unrest—it is a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.
A War from the Sky: Burma’s Relentless Aerial Assaults
The junta’s increasing reliance on airstrikes has turned resistance-held areas into death zones. What distinguishes Burma’s air war is not just the volume of bombings—but their indiscriminate and civilian-targeted nature. Since the coup, over 2,400 airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 civilians and injured at least 1,600 more. These attacks have leveled 114 schools, 39 hospitals, and nearly 190 religious buildings.
The April 2023 Pazigyi massacre, where over 165 civilians attending a public event were killed by aerial bombardment, became a grim symbol of the junta’s disregard for civilian life. In May 2025, a similar strike in Depayin claimed the lives of 22 people—20 of them children attending school. September 2022’s strike on Let Yet Kone monastery school killed 13 children and teachers. Each assault reinforces the junta’s strategy of terror: destroy infrastructure, decimate morale, and crush dissent through fear.
Scorched Earth and Systematic Atrocities
Beyond the air, the ground campaign has embraced a scorched-earth strategy. Entire villages have been razed. Soldiers employ mass executions, torture, rape, and forced disappearances to sow terror among civilians. Beheadings and the burning of bodies have become reported practices by military units attempting to instill maximum psychological trauma.
According to numerous human rights organizations, these tactics constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The junta is not merely fighting an insurgency—it is deliberately attacking civilians to eliminate any potential support for the resistance movement.
The Humanitarian Collapse
The consequences of this violence extend far beyond the battlefield. Burma now has over 3.5 million internally displaced people, a tenfold increase since before the coup. Nearly 1.5 million more have fled the country entirely. The UN estimates that 21.9 million people—nearly 40% of the population—are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The junta has implemented a “Four Cuts” strategy—cutting off food, funds, intelligence, and recruits to resistance areas. Humanitarian agencies are blocked from accessing opposition-controlled regions unless they agree to channel aid through junta hands. Earthquake victims in opposition areas have been systematically denied relief. Aid convoys are regularly turned away or looted.
Food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels. In regions like Rakhine, children are dying of malnutrition and preventable disease. Rice supply chains have collapsed, basic medicine like paracetamol is unavailable, and millions face famine-level conditions. The health system, once fragile, is now decimated. Clinics are attacked or repurposed by military forces, and medical personnel have either fled or been targeted.
The Collapse of Control: A Fracturing Junta
Despite these atrocities, the junta is losing its grip. Today, it is estimated that the military regime controls less than 40% of the country’s territory. This growing opposition has further intensified the junta’s desperation, leading to an increase in the use of scorched-earth tactics and aerial bombardments. The more territory it loses, the more violently it retaliates.
Resistance Gains: Ethnic Forces Turning the Tide
Despite brutal repression, Burma’s ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have mounted a powerful and historic counteroffensive since late 2023. The Karen, Karenni, Kachin, and Arakan (Rakhine) resistance groups have each made significant territorial gains by overrunning Burmese military camps, outposts, and administrative centers in their respective regions.
Karen State (Kawthoolei region): The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Kawthoolei Army (KTLA) and its affiliates under the Kawthoolei Government have captured over 200 junta camps across the Hpapun, Kawkareik, and Myawaddy districts. Border trade routes once controlled by the junta have shifted into resistance hands, disrupting military financing through customs duties.
Karenni State (Kayah State): The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and allied People's Defense Forces (PDFs) have liberated more than 70% of Kayah State, establishing parallel governance structures and cutting off major junta supply routes. The junta retains only small pockets of control, mostly in the state capital, Loikaw, which has been under siege for months.
Kachin State: The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has seized key positions near Bhamo, Momauk, and the jade-mining town of Hpakant. They’ve also launched coordinated attacks near the Chinese border, reclaiming over 60% of northern Kachin territory, particularly in areas where the junta once extracted natural resources with impunity.
Rakhine (Arakan) State: Since the resumption of conflict in late 2023, the Arakan Army (AA) has driven out the Burmese military from over 85 towns, outposts, and camps, controlling most of northern and central Rakhine State, including the strategic Paletwa township in Chin State. The junta now controls only key garrison towns like Sittwe and Ann, which remain under siege.
These sweeping gains represent a military collapse of control for the junta in many ethnic regions. For the first time in decades, major highways, trade routes, and resource-rich zones have fallen into the hands of organized resistance. With these victories, ethnic groups are not only reclaiming land but also restoring self-governance, delivering services, and forming strategic alliances with each other and pro-democracy coalitions.
International Sanctions and Legal Pressure
The global response has been slow but evolving. A one-third reduction in the junta’s access to weapons and the international financial system has been achieved through sanctions imposed by member states. However, these efforts are often undermined by complicity or apathy among neighboring states and foreign corporations.
The international community has yet to fully halt the supply of aviation fuel used in deadly bombings. Human rights groups have called for an embargo on jet fuel and stronger enforcement of arms sanctions.
Legal pressure is mounting. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has filed motions to hold Min Aung Hlaing accountable for crimes linked not only to the post-coup violence but also to the earlier Rohingya genocide. The United Nations Special Rapporteur has presented detailed reports documenting beheadings, rape, and the systematic targeting of civilians.
Still, justice remains elusive for most victims.
Conclusion: A Nation on the Edge of Collapse or Rebirth
Burma is in freefall. With its economy shattered, its people starving, and its land engulfed in violence, the future appears uncertain. And yet, out of the ashes of war, a growing movement of resilience is forming. Ethnic groups, pro-democracy fighters, and everyday citizens continue to resist one of the world’s most brutal regimes with unmatched courage.
The world faces a choice: turn away in the face of atrocity, or step up with meaningful action—sanctions with teeth, humanitarian corridors that bypass the junta, and international legal mechanisms that hold perpetrators accountable.
The military regime may yet fall, but the suffering of Burma’s people cannot wait.
References (APA format)
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