Four years have now passed since the attempted coup in Burma on 1 February 2021. The injustices inflicted upon innocent civilians by the junta throughout the country since then have been widespread, systematic, and lack accountability. Over the past year, the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG) has gathered evidence of the junta’s crimes, highlighting the rising frequency, scale, and brutality of the atrocities.

Our latest report, “Running Out of Time: An Overview of 2024: The Escalation of Human Rights Violations in Karenni State,” includes data on how the worsening humanitarian crisis and junta attacks impact the most vulnerable. Between January and December 2024, KnHRG documented the deaths of 106 civilians and 235 wounded. Innocent people were affected by airstrikes, mortar shelling, artillery fire, landmines and drone strikes. All of the recorded cases were found to have been perpetrated by the Burmese military.

In 2024, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Karenni State reached at least 210,000. This is an increase from 2023 when KnHRG recorded 180,000 IDPs, representing roughly 40 percent of the population. Women and children continue to suffer immensely from the conflict as they are the majority of those displaced. Trauma is widespread among these communities as resources become increasingly more difficult to obtain due to funding cuts and donors only being able to provide limited support.

KnHRG remains alarmed by the escalating erosion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Burma. We call for an urgent and coordinated response from the international community, including a long-overdue referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court and targeted sanctions, particularly on aviation fuel.

A global arms embargo would prevent the junta’s warplanes from terrorizing communities from the air and would represent a crucial step forward in ending the junta’s injustices.

While the people of Burma have endured much strife and hardship, they have not lost their resilience. With human rights defenders at the forefront of defending democracy, a federal democratic future is possible.

In Karenni State, this means that the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) must serve as a model of localized governance that serves as a pillar of commitment to justice, human rights and the promotion and protection of fundamental rights and freedoms for all.

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