Myanmar at a crossroads: A choice between impunity and justice

Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), told the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee that “the frequency and severity of international crimes in Myanmar have escalated.”

Warning that civilians of all ethnicities are bearing the brunt, he said: “We have amassed evidence that persons detained by the military authorities have been tortured and subjected to various forms of sexual violence.”

“We have evidence of the identity of the perpetrators and their commanders.”

Mr. Koumjian added that his team has also documented summary executions and attacks on schools, hospitals, and places of worship as the military increasingly relies on airstrikes.

He noted that in Rakhine state, where the Arakan Army (an ethnic armed group fighting against Myanmar’s military junta) has seized most territory, the military’s brutal response has left civilians destitute and starving.

“[We are] gathering evidence of several alleged atrocities, including drone attacks targeting civilians, executions, rape, torture, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid to a population facing starvation,” he said.

© UNICEF/Minzayar Oo

In Mandalay, a teacher stands amid the ruins of the classroom where he once taught English and Science – now destroyed by the March earthquakes.

An invisible crisis

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights situation in Myanmar, said the situation in has worsened dramatically, with nearly 22 million people now requiring aid and 16.7 million facing acute food insecurity.

March earthquakes in central Myanmar left roughly 200,000 people homeless, damaged 157,000 buildings, and caused an estimated $11 billion in losses.

“The military junta took this natural disaster and turned it into a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr. Andrews said. “They blocked systematically the delivery of humanitarian aid, harassed and threatened relief workers, looted homes and medical supplies, and forcibly conscripted young people into the military.”

Airstrikes on civilian targets surged in the aftermath, surpassing pre-earthquake levels. The health system was also targeted, with 169 attacks on medical facilities and personnel in the first eight months of 2025, while food shortages in central Rakhine state worsened sharply, leaving 58 per cent of families unable to meet basic needs.

“The crisis is getting worse every day,” he warned. “This is not only a national tragedy; it is affecting the entire region and beyond.”

Lack of funds imperilling efforts

Mr. Koumjian also warned that a funding shortfall could soon force the Mechanism to lose one-third of its staff – including experts on gender-based crimes and crimes against children – undermining accountability efforts.

“Pursuing justice for the crimes committed in Myanmar sends an important message,” he said, “that the international community will not stand by when civilians are targeted and international law ignored.”

© UNOCHA/Siegfried Modola

A general view shows an IDP camp in eastern Myanmar.

‘Time is slipping away’

Julie Bishop, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, echoed those concerns, urging renewed diplomatic engagement as “time is slipping away.”

She described a “deeply disturbing pattern of indiscriminate attacks on civilians” and said Myanmar’s planned elections risk “deepening violence and instability” as opposition groups reject them as illegitimate.

She warned that those who support these elections “should consider potential consequences...no elections should risk human lives.”

Independent experts

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the country are both mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor abuses and pursue accountability.

The IIMM is tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of international crimes for future judicial proceedings.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert, not a UN staff member, who reports impartially on human rights conditions.