Myanmar’s military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since a command reshuffle in March, even as the junta secures wider regional recognition, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said Monday.
ACLED recorded more than a dozen mass killings in the first half of 2026, with over 450 civilians reported killed – nearly 40% in Anyar, the central dry zone spanning Magway, Mandalay and Sagaing.
ACLED tied the rise in lethality to General Ye Win Oo’s appointment as military commander after Min Aung Hlaing moved into the presidency in April, saying the reorganized command structure has driven “worsening repression and intensified aerial bombing.” Specialized groups of two to five fighter jets have since conducted repeated strikes on single targets, including at least six attacks on resistance-run detention centers that killed 153 people.
A Myanmar government spokesperson did not respond to Reuters, which could not verify residents’ accounts of a May raid in Myit Chay that killed at least 40 people — one of many incidents complicated by restricted access and communications blackouts.
A July UN humanitarian update put 16 million people in need of assistance and 3.8 million displaced, with only 43% of the $890 million appeal funded and access restrictions still hindering relief.
The military has also pushed offensives into border regions holding rare earth deposits, even as Min Aung Hlaing courts recognition abroad: India hosted him from May 30 to June 3, China gave him a state visit in June, and Thailand has invited him, casting itself as a bridge to ASEAN.
The UN’s independent investigative mechanism says evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity has continued since the 2021 coup — a record regional diplomacy has so far left unaddressed.
