Presenting his final report to the UN Human Rights Council on 13 March 2026, outgoing Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews warned that Myanmar’s junta must not be allowed to re-normalise with impunity after more than five years of civil war and repression (Human Rights Council, 13 March 2026). The conflict has intensified: airstrikes on civilian targets rose from nine in 2021 to 1,140 in 2025; 3.6 million people are displaced; and humanitarian need is enormous.

The international community has shown measures that work, from targeted sanctions to disruption of arms supply networks, but Andrews cautioned that resolve is waning. The human-rights case for sustained pressure is stark: without continued isolation of the junta, the machinery of abuses—airstrikes, forced displacement, landmine contamination—will be allowed to mature into permanent patterns.

Policy must be calibrated: scale up humanitarian aid, maintain targeted sanctions and arms controls that disrupt the junta’s capacity, support cross-border assistance where possible, and bolster documentation for future accountability. Above all, donor fatigue must be resisted; civilians in Myanmar need durable international solidarity to prevent further rights erosion.

Sources: Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews report, UN Human Rights Council, 13 March 2026; OCHA and OHCHR statistics cited, 2025 reports.