Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), told the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee that “the frequency and severity of international crimes in Myanmar have escalated.”

Warning that civilians of all ethnicities are bearing the brunt, he said: “We have amassed evidence that persons detained by the military authorities have been tortured and subjected to various forms of sexual violence.”

“We have evidence of the identity of the perpetrators and their commanders.”

Mr. Koumjian added that his team has also documented summary executions and attacks on schools, hospitals, and places of worship as the military increasingly relies on airstrikes.

He noted that in Rakhine state, where the Arakan Army (an ethnic armed group fighting against Myanmar’s military junta) has seized most territory, the military’s brutal response has left civilians destitute and starving. 

“[We are] gathering evidence of several alleged atrocities, including drone attacks targeting civilians, executions, rape, torture, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid to a population facing starvation,” he said.

An invisible crisis

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights situation in Myanmar, said the situation in has worsened dramatically, with nearly 22 million people now requiring aid and 16.7 million facing acute food insecurity.

March earthquakes in central Myanmar left roughly 200,000 people homeless, damaged 157,000 buildings, and caused an estimated $11 billion in losses.

“The military junta took this natural disaster and turned it into a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr. Andrews said. “They blocked systematically the delivery of humanitarian aid, harassed and threatened relief workers, looted homes and medical supplies, and forcibly conscripted young people into the military.”

Airstrikes on civilian targets surged in the aftermath, surpassing pre-earthquake levels. The health system was also targeted, with 169 attacks on medical facilities and personnel in the first eight months of 2025, while food shortages in central Rakhine state worsened sharply, leaving 58 per cent of families unable to meet basic needs.

“The crisis is getting worse every day,” he warned. “This is not only a national tragedy; it is affecting the entire region and beyond.”

Lack of funds imperilling efforts

Mr. Koumjian also warned that a funding shortfall could soon force the Mechanism to lose one-third of its staff – including experts on gender-based crimes and crimes against children – undermining accountability efforts.

“Pursuing justice for the crimes committed in Myanmar sends an important message,” he said, “that the international community will not stand by when civilians are targeted and international law ignored.”

© UNOCHA/Siegfried Modola

A general view shows an IDP camp in eastern Myanmar.

‘Time is slipping away’

Julie Bishop, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, echoed those concerns, urging renewed diplomatic engagement as “time is slipping away.”

She described a “deeply disturbing pattern of indiscriminate attacks on civilians” and said Myanmar’s planned elections risk “deepening violence and instability” as opposition groups reject them as illegitimate.

She warned that those who support these elections “should consider potential consequences…no elections should risk human lives.”

Independent experts

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the country are both mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor abuses and pursue accountability.

The IIMM is tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of international crimes for future judicial proceedings.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert, not a UN staff member, who reports impartially on human rights conditions.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan highlighted escalating armed clashes, political detentions, and widespread human rights violations, calling for coordinated efforts to safeguard civilians and uphold justice.

“South Sudan’s political transition is falling apart,” Commissioner Barney Afako told the Assembly. “The ceasefire is not holding, political detentions have become a tool of repression, the peace agreement’s key provisions are being systematically violated, and the Government forces are using aerial bombardments in civilian areas. All indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war.”

Fighting intensifies

The Commission noted that fighting has intensified since March, displacing over 370,000 civilians internally and driving many more to neighbouring countries.

Across South Sudan, nearly 2.6 million people remain displaced, in addition to some 600,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan.

“The suffering of South Sudan’s people is not collateral damage – it is the direct consequence of political failure,” said commission chair, Yasmin Sooka.

“Once again, civilians are being bombarded, women are being raped, children are being displaced and forcefully recruited into combat roles, and entire communities are living in fear – all of this is a tragic repetition of South Sudan’s painful past. This war on the people of South Sudan is man-made and preventable.”

Investigators highlighted the growing complexity of the conflict, with political power struggles intertwined with ethnic tensions and local grievances.

Government reshuffles and partisan appointments have deepened mistrust between signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, while localised fighting is being exploited for political and military gain.

Billions extracted, ‘while the population starves’

Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández linked the crisis to corruption: “Billions in oil revenues have been siphoned off while the population starves. Hospitals have no medicines, schools have no teachers, and soldiers go unpaid while elites enrich themselves through opaque contracts and off-budget deals. Corruption is not a side effect of the conflict — it is one of its engines,” he said.

The Commission’s report also details ongoing sexual violence, forced recruitment of children, and extrajudicial killings, with national authorities complicit in some cases.

Rule of law institutions remain underfunded and promises to reform detention powers have largely gone unfulfilled.

The investigators called on the UN, African Union, and regional partners to ensure accountability, expedite the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and engage the political class in an inclusive process.

Handshakes not enough

“Peace will not come through words or handshakes,” Sooka said. “It will come through concrete actions — ending impunity, protecting civilians, and building institutions that serve people, not power. Justice and accountability must not remain deferred promises. The international community must move beyond expressions of concern to concrete, coordinated action. Otherwise, the suffering will only intensify.”

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2016, is an independent body tasked with investigating human rights violations in the country. Its mandate has been renewed annually, and its members serve without receiving any salary.