ALTSEAN-BURMA

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing declared himself prime minister of a “caretaker” government, but continued to call the shots as SAC Chair. Promised elections were pushed back to Aug 2023. The junta continued its crackdown on the NLD, and even made an attempt on the life of Kyaw Moe Tun, Burma’s Ambassador to the UN, in New York.

The coup ravaged the people of Burma. During Feb–Jul, there were 3,601 attacks on civilians or armed clashes that failed to protect them, a 521% increase from the same months in 2020.

In the sixth month since its forcible and unconstitutional power grab, the junta’s oppressive acts to secure political, territorial, or economic control have escalated conflict and the deadliness of a third wave of COVID-19. COVID-19 ripped ferociously through Burma, where a weakened health system and junta restrictions on treatment measures contributed to untold deaths. As the junta brought testing closer to pre-coup levels, it saw COVID-19 positivity rates up to 40%. During July alone, security forces killed at least 56 civilians. There were 348 violent attacks that either targeted or failed to protect civilians during 1–23 Jul, and a total 3,446 incidents 1 Feb–23 Jul.

In the fifth month since its forcible and unconstitutional power grab, the junta’s oppressive acts to secure political, territorial, or economic control have escalated conflict and the threats posed by a third wave of COVID-19. Security forces created battlefields in more towns and cities, expanded airstrikes on Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, and Sagaing States/Regions, and shelled villages in all of these places as well as in Shan State. During June alone, security forces killed at least 81 civilians and displaced over 30,000. There were 538 violent attacks that either targeted or failed to protect civilians during 1–25 Jun, and a total 3,012 incidents 1 Feb–25 Jun.

Since seizing power on 1 February, the illegal military junta’s destructive efforts to gain territorial and political control have dragged the economy, already impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, into a crippling, downward spiral.

The junta, still unable to gain political, territorial or economic control in the fourth month since its forcible and unconstitutional power grab, has engulfed the entire country in armed conflict. Security forces created battlefields in more towns and cities, expanded airstrikes on Kachin and Karen states, and continued shelling villages in Chin, Kachin, Karen, Shan, and Sagaing States/Regions. During May alone, security forces killed at least 125 civilians and displaced over 150,000. There were 530 violent attacks that either targeted or failed to protect civilians in the first three weeks of May, and a total 2,098 incidents 1 Feb–21 May.

The illegal junta's "Consensus" with ASEAN states late last month included a commitment to stopping violence and "exercising restraint". In seven days the military instead carried out 68 air strikes on Kachin and Karen State - almost ten per day - destroying civilian homes and displacing thousands.