Defying a Dictatorship: An Overview of the Human Rights Situation in Burma
17 March 2026
Introduction
This report outlines human rights violations by ND-Burma members and affiliates from July to December 2025. The figures compiled highlight the undeniable injustices committed by the junta, which require a strong international response.
ND-Burma uses case studies, interviews, and eyewitness testimonies to document abuses by the Burmese Army, junta-backed militias, Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs), and People’s Defence Forces (PDFs). The military junta is responsible for the vast majority of recorded crimes. During this period, ND-Burma observed an increase in assaults on civilians by the Burmese military. Our members collaborate closely with local communities to monitor the human rights situation, even as the broader conflict escalates.
Situation Overview
The human rights situation in Burma has severely deteriorated since the coup on February 1, 2021. The military junta has undermined democratic principles, triggering widespread protests against its rule.
Over the past five years, the military has continued violence against civilians, causing a humanitarian crisis that has plunged half the population into severe poverty. Millions have fled, as junta soldiers attack villages, burning homes and stealing possessions. Key infrastructure like hospitals, clinics, and schools have been targeted in airstrikes, risking lives, especially children. Limited access to healthcare, education, and jobs has shattered hope for a peaceful future. The situation remains volatile and complex, with no clear end to the conflict, as the justice system is weaponized and used as a tool of repression.
The military junta’s deployment of airstrikes has led to widespread devastation across the country. In 2025, fighting took place in all 14 of Burma’s states and regions with the National Unity Government (NUG) reporting that there were 8,821 strikes between January and December 2025, with the highest intensity recorded in October, December, and September.3 As battles rage across the borderlines, the most vulnerable are left the least equipped to defend themselves against the tyranny that has engulfed their everyday lives. The military has increasingly relied on its air power to strike opposition-controlled areas, resulting in high casualties among non-combatants.
For women and girls, the impacts of the airstrikes are catastrophic and long-lasting. Women face immense risks in the aftermath of the aerial deployments. In a statement released by the Burmese Women’s Union, it was reported that at least 70 women were killed across Burma in October 2025 alone, due to the military junta’s airstrikes, mortar shell attacks, and other acts of violence.
Blockades of life-saving emergency assistance have made it more difficult for conflict-affected communities to access food, water, shelter, and medical supplies. The absence of secure shelter and basic services heightens their risks, especially concerning gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault. Women and girls, unprotected, risk encountering dangers when seeking sanitation facilities. The safe provision of humanitarian aid has been weaponized by the military junta as a tool to appease the international community through statements and calls for support, while the realities on the ground starkly contrast the military’s messaging, as local aid workers are targeted for their relief efforts.
The funding cuts earlier in 2025 and declining donor support contributed to growing gaps in the ability to provide services and relief for community-based organizations working locally to provide emergency aid and implement programs. Though limited in capacity and resources, locally led organizations have persisted in filling the increasing gaps in service delivery because the junta cannot be trusted as a reliable partner in aid distribution.
As this report by ND-Burma shows, members have courageously documented the ongoing attacks that have plagued their communities. The struggle and strife are the result of the regime’s desperate attempts to secure legitimacy and power, further advanced on the national stage through a sham election designed to ensure no other candidate or competing party could succeed. The boycott that followed was met by junta officials who violently threatened and coerced local people into forcibly complying with the order to vote. The chaos and instability in the country led to the election only being carried out in 263 of 330 townships and predominantly in areas under junta control.
Additional concerns for local people include forced conscription, which puts the safety of both men and women at risk. Young people continue to be forced to fight on the front lines of a worsening conflict, leaving them with few options to avoid enlistment. The junta began enforcing the 2010 People’s Military Service Law for the first time in February 2024, mandating at least 2 years of military service for all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27.
Survival, particularly in Burma’s borderlands, is being met with resistance by the junta, while civil society organizations are working to protect and preserve the human rights of innocent people. Although many challenges remain, the foundational work of groups opposing the junta’s authoritarian agenda is crucial for building a federal democracy in Burma.
Download full report (English)
Announcements
19 May 2026
