UN Probe: Myanmar’s Cheap Aircraft Strikes Civilians

Myanmar’s military is increasingly deploying low-cost aircraft such as motorised paragliders, gyrocopters and drones to bomb civilian areas, according to a United Nations investigation released on Tuesday.

The report, compiled by the UN‑mandated Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), details a yearlong inquiry into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Investigators found that aerial assaults escalated around the army’s elections late last year and have continued since, with evidence of “double‑tap” strikes — repeated bombings aimed at rescuers and survivors.

In several incidents in Sagaing region, paramotor pilots reportedly cut their engines to glide silently over villages before dropping explosives, leaving residents little chance to escape.

The Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic armed group in Rakhine state, said that 20 civilians were killed and 22 injured in military airstrikes between 1 and 11 August. On Monday, a regime jet dropped three 300‑pound bombs on a monastery in Kyaukkyi village, killing 14 people and destroying homes.

Since the 2021 coup, more than 8,000 civilians have been killed and over 31,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The IIMM said it has gathered evidence from over 1,600 sources that could be used in future prosecutions.

Nicholas Koumjian, head of the mechanism, stressed: “Behind every piece of evidence we collect are people whose lives have been devastated by these crimes.”

The military-backed government has not responded to the UN findings, maintaining in past statements that it only targets “terrorists”. But rights groups say the pattern of attacks shows deliberate targeting of civilians, designed to terrorise communities and weaken resistance.

The IIMM is also investigating abuses by opposition forces, including allegations of sexual violence and child recruitment. Yet the UN report makes clear that the military’s use of improvised aircraft has opened a new, deadly chapter in Myanmar’s civil war — one where cheap machines are being turned into weapons against its own people.

-2026-08-12