UN investigators identify Myanmar air force bases behind civilian attacks

Mizzima

The UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said in an annual report released 11 August that it has identified specific military airbases and their command structures behind aerial attacks on civilians across eight states and regions, evidence it said is intended to support future prosecutions in national and international courts.

Myanmar has been under military rule since a February 2021 coup ousted the country’s elected civilian government, triggering nationwide armed resistance and a conflict that has since drawn scrutiny from UN bodies and international courts over the conduct of the regime’s forces.

Established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, the IIMM collects and preserves evidence of the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011 to support prosecutions in national or international courts. The report covers the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

According to the report, aircraft from Magway and Tada-U air force bases carried out attacks in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin and Kayin states and in Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing regions, while aircraft from Taungoo Air Force Base Headquarters in Bago and Nay Pyi Taw Air Force Base were responsible for attacks in Kayah State. The Mechanism said it is analysing the command structure of the Myanmar Air Force, including the identities of commanders during the periods when the attacks occurred.

The report also documented a pattern it called “double tap” attacks, in which the military strikes a target and follows with a second aerial attack shortly after, appearing to target first responders and people attempting to rescue the wounded or flee. The Mechanism said it is prioritising the examination of such incidents in Chin and Kachin states and in Sagaing region.

The junta has increasingly relied on paramotors, gyrocopters and drones for low-altitude strikes, the report said, noting that pilots in Sagaing have been observed cutting their engines as they approach targets to glide silently and avoid detection, giving civilians no warning to flee or seek shelter.

“Behind every piece of evidence we collect are people whose lives have been devastated by these crimes,” said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Mechanism, adding that the findings point to “the urgent need to hold those responsible to account.”

The annual report also documents a wider pattern of abuses over the reporting period, including arrests of children and adults under a 2025 law criminalising criticism of the military-run elections held between December 2025 and January 2026, torture and sexual violence at named detention facilities, and funding constraints that the Mechanism said have already cost it a dedicated investigator position for sexual and gender-based crimes.

The Mechanism said such command-structure evidence is intended for use by national and international jurisdictions already handling cases linked to Myanmar, including proceedings before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.