Civilians face widening displacement crisis, Myanmar Witness report warns

Mizzima

Internal displacement in Myanmar continues to worsen, leaving civilians with few safe havens as military operations spread across much of the country, according to a report released on 5 January by Myanmar Witness.

The report, Internally Displaced: Where Do We Go? Assessing the Internal Displacement Crisis in Myanmar, examined open-source evidence from January to June 2025 and documented hundreds of incidents linked to displacement following the military’s February 2021 coup.

Myanmar Witness analysed 284 reported events affecting internally displaced persons (IDPs), finding that the vast majority of civilians fled their homes due to violence or military activity.

Nearly 90 percent of recorded incidents resulted in new displacement. The remaining cases involved attacks on IDP camps, damage to temporary shelters such as schools and monasteries, or casualties among displaced civilians.

Displacement-related impacts were identified in 12 of Myanmar’s 15 states and regions, with Magway, Sagaing and Bago Regions recording the highest number of incidents. The report linked these figures to the Myanmar military’s sustained ground operations in those areas.

Monthly peaks in displacement were recorded in March and June 2025, corresponding with reported military campaigns in central Myanmar, the report said.

Some regions, including Yangon, Naypyidaw and Mon State, did not feature in the dataset. However, Myanmar Witness said this likely reflected the military’s firm territorial control rather than an absence of risk to civilians.

The report noted that airstrikes and ground offensives have increasingly affected remote areas, changing assumptions that distance from conflict zones offered protection.

The report noted verification challenges with only a limited number of incidents confirmed through both location and timing analysis due to cloud cover, scarce user-generated footage and extensive destruction on the ground.

Overall, the findings suggest there are “few to no locations” in Myanmar that can be considered consistently safe for civilians, as conflict-driven displacement continues with little sign of abating, the report concluded.