Shocking statistics have emerged from Myanmar, the military-controlled Southeast Asian nation, where more than 100,000 people have reportedly been killed in relentless conflicts since the military coup of 1 February 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government led by pro-democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
UN human rights expert Kelley Anne Eckels-Currie, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on 27 October 2026, stated that the conflict-related death toll since the coup had surpassed 100,000, including civilians.
The UN human rights expert described Myanmar’s current President, Min Aung Hlaing, as a tyrant who continues to terrorise ordinary citizens through deliberate attacks on civilians, forcing them into submission.
Myanmar has remained engulfed in a civil war-like situation since 2021, with government forces facing widespread resistance from various armed groups. Frequent airstrikes on populated areas have become a common occurrence across several regions.
The continuing violence has forced millions of Myanmar citizens to abandon their villages and seek temporary shelter in areas lacking basic amenities, often for months.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than four million people had been internally displaced across the Buddhist-majority country of approximately 55 million people by September 2026.
Many displaced families have also sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including Thailand, India and Bangladesh. The United Nations recently estimated that more than 16 million people in Myanmar require humanitarian assistance.
The military seized power in February 2021, alleging electoral fraud in the 2020 general elections, which saw Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) secure a landslide victory.
Min Aung Hlaing subsequently assumed the presidency following a contested military-controlled political process. Eckels-Currie remarked that although the junta leader had exchanged his military uniform for civilian attire in April 2026, he remained the same ruthless dictator.
The military authorities have arrested thousands of anti-junta activists, including politicians and media professionals.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 32,000 people have been detained since the 2021 takeover. At least 15,000 people, including Suu Kyi, reportedly remain behind bars, along with approximately 20 media professionals.
Another serious concern is the military’s continued recruitment of young people for deployment against resistance groups.
According to the Institute for Strategy and Policy, more than 136,300 individuals had been recruited under the military’s conscription programme by October 2026, following the enforcement of the military service law in February 2024.
Ethnic armed organisations and pro-democracy People’s Defence Forces, operating under the opposition National Unity Government, now reportedly control around 42 per cent of Myanmar’s territory.
The military, known as the Tatmadaw, is said to retain control over only 22 per cent of the country, including the capital, Naypyidaw, and several major urban centres.
Large parts of Sagaing and Magway regions, along with Kachin, Shan, Karenni (Kayah) and Karen (Kayin) states, have become active battlegrounds, where armed clashes continue.
Meanwhile, the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organisation operating in western Myanmar, has captured 14 of the 17 townships in Rakhine (Arakan) State, besides Paletwa township in neighbouring Chin State, which borders India and Bangladesh.
Reports of fighting between military personnel and AA fighters continue to emerge from the outskirts of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, as well as Kyaukphyu and Manaung Island.
More recently, areas around Kyauktaw have witnessed devastating military bombing and airstrikes. An airstrike on 28 September reportedly killed 50 civilians and injured another 60.
The AA condemned the attacks, alleging that military forces were resorting to brutal tactics following battlefield setbacks. In a recent statement, the armed group also claimed that intense fighting had engulfed areas surrounding Sittwe.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, who was appointed before the 2021 coup and whose status the military-backed regime recently sought to revoke, has urged the international community to block all forms of assistance to the junta.
Addressing a UN committee discussing the situation in Myanmar, Kyaw Moe Tun called on member states to immediately halt supplies of weapons and aviation fuel to the military regime, arguing that the fuel was being used to carry out airstrikes against civilians.
Human rights advocacy organisation Progressive Voice, in a statement issued on 23 October, criticised the United States administration for initiating renewed engagement with Myanmar’s military regime.
Describing the Naypyidaw administration as illegitimate, Progressive Voice chairperson Khin Ohmar urged Washington to reaffirm its support for Myanmar’s democratic movement and immediately cease all engagement with the junta.
“Washington appears willing to sideline human rights and democracy in favor of what it considers core US national interests,” she added.
Speaking to this writer from Yangon (formerly Rangoon), a supporter of Suu Kyi expressed frustration over the deteriorating situation in Myanmar.
The NLD activist alleged that junta-backed authorities continued to harass ordinary citizens and criticised China and Russia for supplying weapons to the military regime.
He also expressed disappointment with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), claiming that its leadership, which had initially distanced itself from Myanmar’s military rulers following the 2021 coup, had recently begun warming relations with the junta.
