UN Warns of Devastating Impact of Military Air Campaign
At least 170 civilians were killed in a wave of Myanmar military airstrikes carried out during the country’s widely criticised election period, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on January 30, 2026. The toll came amid a three-phase election process orchestrated by the ruling military junta, which many international observers have dismissed as an attempt to legitimize continued military domination.
According to UN officials, the casualties were verified from reports of 408 military aerial attacks between December 2025 and late January 2026, spanning the entire election campaign from the first campaign events to the final phase of voting. James Rodehaver, head of the rights office’s Myanmar team, noted that the actual number of deaths could be higher, owing to restricted communications and fear among local populations that inhibits reporting.
Election Held Amid Unrelenting Violence
The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed a decisive victory in the election, which was held between Dec. 28 and Jan. 25. State media reported strong results for the USDP, but the process was broadly condemned internationally as deeply flawed and lacking legitimacy. Critics, including ASEAN member states and human rights groups, said large segments of Myanmar’s population — especially in conflict-affected regions — were effectively excluded from voting.
UN rights officials highlighted that the elections took place in only 263 of 330 townships, largely under military control and seldom in frontline conflict zones, leaving millions of displaced civilians and ethnic minorities without access to the ballot box. Groups such as the ethnic Rohingya were among those unable to participate, contributing to widespread condemnation of the process.
Deadly Strikes Deepen Humanitarian Crisis
The UN report detailed that the deaths occurred across multiple regions, with some of the deadliest incidents in Kachin State’s Bhamo township, where a single airstrike on January 22 reportedly killed up to 50 civilians in a populated area with no known combatants present.
The continued use of air power against civilians underscores the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in Myanmar since the military coup of Feb. 1, 2021, which ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights groups and aid organisations have repeatedly documented indiscriminate aerial attacks, artillery bombardments, drone strikes and other abuses throughout the prolonged civil conflict, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
UN Rights Chief Condemns Violence and Repression
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the killings as part of a broader pattern of repression and violence that has plagued Myanmar since the coup. Speaking from Geneva, Türk said the election — rather than bringing peace and stability — had only deepened “the profound and widespread despair inflicted on the people of Myanmar.” He argued that coercion and insecurity continued to dominate daily life for many, with some people choosing to cast ballots or abstain “purely out of fear.”
The OHCHR highlighted a catalogue of rights violations and restrictions, including mass arbitrary arrests, forced conscription, widespread surveillance, and limitations on civic space, all of which have characterised life under military rule. The office also reported instances of voter coercion, such as villagers in Sagaing region being detained and pressured to cast advance ballots.
Exclusion and Disenfranchisement Mar Democratic Claims
Opposition politicians, minority representatives and civil society activists have said the election was a sham designed to cement military rule, noting the absence or boycott of major pro-democracy parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains detained. Many ethnic groups and displaced communities were unable to vote due to ongoing conflict, logistical barriers and military restrictions, further undermining the process’s credibility.
Analysts contend that the election’s conduct — limited geographic reach, exclusion of large swaths of the population, and the continuing cycle of violence — highlights how Myanmar’s military regime is attempting to rebrand authoritarian rule as democratic governance. Despite official results showing a landslide for the USDP, international observers and rights advocates have rejected the legitimacy of the outcome.
Airstrikes Within Broader Conflict Dynamics
The UN’s findings on airstrike deaths come against the backdrop of a broader pattern of military aerial operations in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war. Recent independent investigations by human rights organisations have documented the junta’s use of aviation fuel imported through opaque supply chains to sustain air operations, which made 2025 the deadliest year for air attacks since the 2021 coup. Amnesty International, for instance, reported surges in aviation fuel imports and a corresponding increase in lethal air campaigns targeting civilians.
Other reports indicate diverse aerial tactics, including the use of paramotors and gyrocopters to drop improvised munitions on civilian areas — highlighting the junta’s adaptation of low-tech platforms to sustain pressure on opposition forces and communities.
International Reaction and Calls for Accountability
Global reactions to the UN report have been sharply critical. Western governments, human rights advocacy groups, and ASEAN forums have expressed dismay at the rising civilian death toll and the absence of genuine democratic processes in Myanmar. Many nations have reiterated calls for an end to military rule, respect for human rights, and accountability for actions that may constitute war crimes.
The UN rights office has urged international actors to intensify pressure on Myanmar’s junta to halt violence, facilitate humanitarian access, and create conditions for dialogue and peaceful resolution. Officials have emphasised that accountability mechanisms must be pursued to prevent further impunity for attacks on civilians.
A Nation Under Strain
As Myanmar attempts to navigate a future defined by internal conflict and contested political structures, the staggering civilian casualties tied to military air campaigns during an election period starkly illustrate the broader humanitarian catastrophe gripping the country. With the junta consolidating power through a controlled electoral process and continuing military offensives, ordinary citizens are left caught between brutal violence and political exclusion.
The UN’s confirmation of at least 170 civilian deaths during the recent election serves as a somber reminder that, far from offering an exit from conflict, the orchestrated vote has instead coincided with some of the deadliest moments of aerial violence in years, deepening the suffering of Myanmar’s beleaguered population.
