Myanmar’s military is increasingly using drones, motorised paragliders and other low-cost aircraft to attack civilians, United Nations investigators said, even as the country’s rulers seek to project stability and gain legitimacy after a military-run election.
The report by the UN-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar released on Tuesday said attacks continued to rise from July last year, with a notable escalation ahead of elections held in December and January. The vote helped elevate then-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to the presidency in April after his military seized power in a 2021 coup.
The military increasingly relies on motorised paragliders, gyrocopters and drones for low-altitude strikes using unguided explosives, including mortar shells, according to the report. In several incidents in Sagaing region, paraglider pilots cut their engines as they approached targets and glided silently, giving civilians less warning and time to seek shelter.
Investigators also said casualties were exacerbated by so-called “double-tap” aerial attacks, in which the military strikes a target and then attacks again shortly afterwards, apparently targeting first responders, people helping the wounded and those trying to flee.
The mechanism said its investigations showed the frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Myanmar’s military and various armed groups continued to escalate over the past year. It also collected “extensive evidence” of arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence in military-run facilities, including cases linked to a 2025 law criminalising criticism of the elections.