UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar

“Tomorrow marks the fourth year since the coup in Myanmar, and an analysis by UN Human Rights Office finds that the situation on the ground for civilians is only getting worse by the day, driving unprecedented levels of killing in 2024,” Jeremy Laurence said.

“According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 1,824 people were killed, including 531 women and 248 children, sharply up from the previous peak of 1,639 verified deaths in 2023. In all over the past four years, at least 6,231 civilians, including 1,144 women and 709 children, have been killed by the military,” Laurence said.

“The atrocities and violence committed by the military have expanded in scope and intensity. The retaliatory nature of the attacks has been designed to control, intimidate and punish the population,” he told reporters.

“And analysis by our Office of the situation in 2024 details acts of extreme brutality, including beheadings, burnings, mutilations, executions, torture and the use of human shields – all of which were carried out against civilians with absolute impunity,” Laurence said.

In many townships, soldiers attacked villages in the absence of active fighting, likely in retaliation for anti-military armed group advances in other areas.

Although not comparable to military violence in scale and scope, violence by anti-military armed groups in 2024 also caused protection concerns for civilians. The UN Human RightsOffice received allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced recruitment and other abuses committed by anti-military armed groups in areas under their control.

“In Rakhine State, the Rohingya found themselves trapped between the warring Arakan Army and the military, with nowhere to turn for protection. Their villages were burnt, their youth pressed into military service, and humanitarian assistance cut off while they were forced repeatedly into displacement, fleeing to find any means of safety,” said the spokesperson.

UN figures show that over 3.5 million people have been displaced, a third of whom are children, although data from civil society organisations suggest that the overall number may be more than double that.

A key driver of displacement was conscription and forced recruitment by the military of thousands of young people, including members of the Rohingya community, creating widespread fear. Tens of thousands of youths have gone into hiding or fled abroad, robbing the workforce of many aged between 18 and 35, and further aggravating the economic crisis.

“Without an immediate end to this brutality and accountability for the perpetrators, civilian casualties will only continue to rise and the overall situation for civilians will inevitably continue to deteriorate,” Laurence stated.

James Rodehaver, head of UN Human Rights Myanmar team, addressed the findings of the Office’s analysis, particularly on the consequences of violence by the Myanmar military.

“This has created a very dire situation in the country that is only compounded by the military's continue limitation on access for humanitarians, and their ability to deliver aid in many parts of the country, particularly those impacted by conflict and violence. This is also at a time when the country's economy is increasingly in freefall,” he said.

“The Myanmar military has been, very much on the back foot, throughout, well, since the end of October 2023. But they, they lost, considerable amount of ground last year. Right now, it's, there are very few, if any, land checkpoints that remain under the control, of, the Myanmar military. So, it has effectively lost control of, of the vast majority of its land borders. And some estimates have put their, their ability to control territory at around 25 to 35% of the country. Now, that does include many of the population centers in the country like Mandalay,Naypyidaw, Yangon, of course. So, they do still have some control. But what's rather remarkable is that they seem only to be able to control areas where they have troops actively deployed. And so, they are constantly in a state of retreat, which is one of the reasons why they're relying upon heavy weaponry, because it is the only area where they enjoy a significant advantage to their opponents,” Rodehaver stated.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva

Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or

Liz Throssell - + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or

Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

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