Since the February 2021 coup d’état, the number of people in humanitarian need has risen from 1 million to 18.6 million. There have been credible reports of violations and abuses committed against the civilian population, including airstrikes on homes, schools, places of worship and hospitals, torture, the use of civilians as human shields, and sexual and gender-based violence against women and children. As the conflict continues to escalate, communities across Myanmar are being subjected to further displacement. The military regime is systematically restricting access to life saving humanitarian assistance. We are concerned about growing water and food shortages and the widespread denial of access to healthcare, medicines, and vital humanitarian services. The continued blocking of roads and telecommunications in areas of conflict is hindering humanitarian delivery and access to information. Across the country, more than 1,000 civilians were killed or maimed by landmines in 2023 and casualties are rapidly growing. Increasing numbers of people are being trafficked and held against their will. All parties must ensure that they are prioritising the protection of civilians. We are deeply concerned by the military regime’s implementation of the 2010 conscription law which is increasing the number of displaced people. This measure continues to attempt to divide communities and fuel identity-based violence across Myanmar.

As of 26 December, an estimated 1,505,700 people were displaced within Myanmar, most since the coup. There were also more than one million refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar in neighbouring countries. Internally displaced people lived in deplorable conditions in makeshift camps and shelters without adequate access to food and water, healthcare and other basic services. The military continued to obstruct access to crucial humanitarian assistance for internally displaced people and other marginalized groups, including via the imposition of onerous restrictions on NGO registration, banking, visas and travel.

The Myanmar military regime has perpetrated a grave humanitarian crisis, resulting in the tragic loss of over 4,000 innocent lives, including children, women, and the elderly, since the coup in February 2021. Disturbingly, violence has escalated, spreading across the nation in recent times. In light of these alarming developments, Amnesty International urgently calls for international intervention to address and curb the atrocities being committed. The situation demands immediate attention from the global community to protect the lives and rights of the people in Myanmar, and to bring an end to the ongoing human rights violations.