UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on the human rights situation in Myanmar

“Conflict, displacement and economic collapse have combined to cause pain and misery across the country. Civilians are paying a terrible price. The number killed in violence in 2024 was the highest since the military launched their coup in 2021,” the High Commissioner said.

“Most civilians were killed in brutal and indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling by the military, as it continues to lose its grip on power. The targeting of schools, places of worship, healthcare facilities, displacement camps and public events caused mass civilian casualties and displacement.”

At least 1,824 people were killed in 2024, including 531 women and 248 children, but these figures are probably a fraction of the real numbers as there is no verified information from several key areas where heavy fighting took place.

“The military continued its campaign of terrorizing the population through acts of extreme brutality, including beheadings, burnings, mutilations, executions, torture, and the use of human shields,” Türk said.

He said: “Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to rage. Over 3.5 million people are displaced, and 20 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.”

Fifteen million people face hunger this year and in the latest appalling development, up to two million people are reported to be at risk of famine.

“I am gravely concerned by an upsurge of violence in Rakhine State,” Türk added.

“While there are no comprehensive verified figures, intense fighting between the military and the Arakan Army is estimated to have killed thousands of civilians and caused many more to flee. Members of the Rohingya community are frequently caught between the parties, who target them with complete impunity.”

He said: “Tens of thousands of Rohingya are estimated to have crossed the border into Bangladesh in 2024, despite the border being formally closed. More than 8,000 fled by sea in 2024, an 80 per cent increase over 2023. At least 650 Rohingya, almost half of them children, died at sea.

“In response to this horrific situation, reporting back to you is a very grim reading as you could just hear, it is imperative for the military immediately to end the violence, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and release all arbitrarily detained people – as demanded by Security Council resolution 2669.

“In Rakhine State, the Arakan Army must do more to honour their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, and protect all individuals within the areas they control.”

Given the humanitarian, economic and political impacts fueling instability across the region, the international community must do more, the High Commissioner said.

“I therefore repeat my call for an arms embargo, coupled with targeted sanctions consistent with international law – including on jet fuel and dual-use goods – to better protect the people of Myanmar,” Türk said.

Breaking the cycle of impunity that has characterized military rule in Myanmar over decades also requires holding perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account, he added.

For more information and media requests, please contact

Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org

Jeremy Laurence + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

Thameen Al-Kheetan +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org

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