Head of investigative team says Myanmar at crossroads, between impunity and justice
By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar Nicholas Koumjian told the Member States that Myanmar stands at a crossroads between impunity and humanitarian crisis, as escalating military airstrikes, widespread civilian casualties and mounting evidence of war crimes continue to devastate the country.
Nicholas Koumjian, told the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee that “the frequency and severity of international crimes in Myanmar have escalated.”
He warned that civilians of all ethnicities are bearing the brunt.
Koumjian said “We have amassed evidence that persons detained by the military authorities have been tortured and subjected to various forms of sexual violence.”
“We have evidence of the identity of the perpetrators and their commanders.”
Mr. Koumjian added that his team has also documented summary executions and attacks on schools, hospitals, and places of worship as the military increasingly relies on airstrikes.
He noted that in Rakhine state, where the Arakan Army (an ethnic armed group fighting against Myanmar’s military junta) has seized most territory, the military’s brutal response has left civilians destitute and starving.
“We are gathering evidence of several alleged atrocities, including drone attacks targeting civilians, executions, rape, torture, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid to a population facing starvation,” he said.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights situation in Myanmar, Tom Andrews said the situation in has worsened dramatically, with nearly 22 million people now requiring aid and 16.7 million facing acute food insecurity.
He noted that earthquakes in central Myanmar in March left 200,000 people homeless, damaged 157,000 buildings, and caused an estimated $11 billion in losses.
“The military junta took this natural disaster and turned it into a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr. Andrews said.
“They blocked systematically the delivery of humanitarian aid, harassed and threatened relief workers, looted homes and medical supplies, and forcibly conscripted young people into the military.”
He stressed that airstrikes on civilian targets surged in the aftermath, surpassed pre-earthquake levels.
UN team said that the health system was targeted, with 169 attacks on medical facilities and personnel in the first 8 months of 2025, while food shortages in central Rakhine state worsened sharply, left 58% of families unable to meet basic needs.
“The crisis is getting worse every day,” he warned. “This is not only a national tragedy; it is affecting the entire region and beyond.”
Mr. Koumjian warned that a funding shortfall could soon force the Mechanism to lose one-third of its staff including experts on gender-based crimes and crimes against children undermined accountability efforts.
He said “Pursuing justice for the crimes committed in Myanmar sends an important message “that the international community will not stand by when civilians are targeted and international law ignored.”
Julie Bishop, the Special Envoy on Myanmar, echoed those concerns, urged renewed diplomatic engagement as “time is slipping away.”
She described a “deeply disturbing pattern of indiscriminate attacks on civilians” and said Myanmar’s planned elections risk “deepening violence and instability” as opposition groups reject them as illegitimate.
Ms. Bishop warned that those who support these elections “should consider potential consequences no elections should risk human lives.”
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar are both mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor abuses and pursue accountability in the country.
The IIMM is tasked to collect and preserve evidence of international crimes for future judicial proceedings.
