Myanmar junta steps up attacks on civilians despite renewed diplomatic outreach

Image: Collected

Myanmar's military has significantly intensified attacks on civilians since the country's new administration assumed office, according to a conflict monitoring group, even as regional governments increase diplomatic engagement with the junta.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said on Monday that the rise in violence reflects the military strategy adopted by Myanmar's new commander-in-chief, who took over in late March as his predecessor prepared to assume the presidency.

According to ACLED, civilians have faced worsening repression and an intensified aerial bombing campaign since the military leadership reorganised its command structure in March.

The organisation said the changes included the regular deployment of specialised groups of two to five fighter jets carrying out sustained airstrikes against individual targets.

A spokesperson for Myanmar's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

ACLED compiles information on Myanmar's conflict using media reports, local partners, United Nations reports, international monitoring organisations and local human rights groups.

Myanmar has remained in turmoil since the military removed Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021, triggering a civil war that has claimed about 100,000 lives and displaced millions.

Shortly before becoming president following an election that excluded most opposition parties, Min Aung Hlaing appointed long-time ally and former intelligence chief Ye Win Oo as the military's new commander-in-chief. Under his leadership, the military has launched renewed offensives in several border regions, including an area along the frontier containing important rare earth deposits and key trade routes.

ACLED said civilians are unlikely to see any relief as the junta seeks to strengthen its control following Min Aung Hlaing's transition from military chief to civilian president in April.

During the first half of 2026, the monitoring group recorded more than a dozen mass killings that resulted in over 450 civilian deaths, with around 40 per cent occurring in Myanmar's central dry zone, known as the Anyar region.

In May, hundreds of junta soldiers reportedly entered parts of Myit Chay township, across the river from the ancient temples of Bagan, killing at least 40 people, according to three local residents.

"About 700 soldiers came into the town, grabbed the belongings of the people here and then beat them and killed them," said 35-year-old resident Ye Naung.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the accounts from Myit Chay. The incident appears in ACLED's database with at least five reported fatalities and was also covered by local media.

ACLED said the military's actions in 2026 indicate a change in methods of civilian repression rather than any reduction in the scale or severity of violence.

The political transition has also been accompanied by increased diplomatic activity. Min Aung Hlaing has visited neighbouring India and China and Myanmar has seen limited re-engagement with the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which barred the country's military leaders from attending its summits after the 2021 coup.

Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand on Aug. 6-7 as he continues efforts to gain greater international legitimacy.