UN special rapporteur says ‘tide is turning’ against Myanmar’s junta

The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar says Myanmar’s ruling junta is “losing” its war against a coalition of domestic troops but remains extremely dangerous.

Tom Andrews, who presented the latest report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, said: “The situation in Myanmar is shifting due to widespread popular opposition to the military government and growing resistance gains on the battlefield.”

Andrews told a briefing to reporters on Wednesday that the junta was losing territory, bases and troops and the ability to “propaganda the lie that it was legitimate” or that it could unify the country by force.

“The junta now controls less than half of Myanmar’s territory and has lost tens of thousands of troops to casualties, surrenders or defections since the military coup launched more than three years ago,” he said.

Andrews added that Myanmar’s military “while desperate” remains extremely dangerous and has escalated punitive attacks against civilians.

“Air strikes against civilian targets have increased fivefold in the past five months,” he said, noting that the number of casualties caused by landmines “more than doubled last year.”

Since the military junta overthrew the country’s democratically elected government on February 1, 2021, thousands of people have been killed, tens of thousands have been arbitrarily arrested and detained, and millions have been displaced.

In response, supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted democratically elected government joined forces with a group of ethnic militias to fight the brutal, repressive leadership, with increasing success.

horrific death toll

The Special Rapporteur called on countries to halt the export of advanced and powerful weapons used by Myanmar to kill civilians, warning that violence and chaos in Myanmar could spread to the region and the wider world.

“Thousands of desperate people continue to flee to neighboring countries. Junta fighter jets violated the airspace of Myanmar’s neighboring countries and bombs landed across the border,” he said.

Andrews highlighted the dangers of appeasing and supporting the junta, noting that criminal networks “have found safe haven in Myanmar”.

“Myanmar is now the world’s largest opium producer and the epicenter of global cyber fraud operations that enslave tens of thousands of people around the world and victimize countless others,” he said.

The junta’s military repression and abuse of civilians have taken a horrific toll.

Myanmar human rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimates that more than 4,500 people have been killed and more than 26,000 arrested, with the majority remaining in detention.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 2.7 million people are displaced in Myanmar and 18.6 million people, including 6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

“When I started as special rapporteur before the coup, the number was one million,” Andrews said.

“Unfathomable”

Worse, he said the junta had begun a forced recruitment program that “sometimes abducted young people from the streets.” Others went into hiding or fled the country.

“Having been hit particularly hard are members of the besieged Rohingya community, who are now suffering sustained bombardment by junta forces. However, unlike most people in Myanmar, the Rohingya are prohibited from migrating to safety,” He said.

“Now the junta is trying to force young Rohingya to do the unthinkable – join an army that is ruthlessly attacking and genocideing their community, forcing hundreds of thousands across the border into Bangladesh.”

In August 2017, nearly 1 million Rohingya Muslims fled to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to escape persecution, violence and gross human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

They live in what has been called “the world’s largest refugee camp” in overcrowded conditions with little access to education and no ability to earn an income, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and serious protection risks.

The United Nations describes the Rohingya as “the most persecuted minority in the world.”

Myanmar’s military junta denies the Rohingya citizenship and treats them as foreign interlopers.

Andrews called on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the horrific events taking place in Myanmar. He said the international community needs to take strong, coordinated action to stop the killing of innocent civilians and bring down illegal leaders.

He said Myanmar must end impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity. To do that, he said, “those responsible for atrocities in Myanmar must know they will be held accountable.”

Myanmar is unable to respond to the special rapporteur’s report at the UN Human Rights Council because the UN does not recognize the de facto military rulers as the legitimate government.