UN Human Rights Office: Myanmar Situation 'Plummets to New Low' Amid Mining and Scam-Center Economy

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported on August 26, 2026 — covering June 2025 to May 2026 — that Myanmar's human rights situation has plummeted to a new low, driven partly by illicit economies. The report documented 8,075 confirmed civilian deaths (including 1,074 children) since the 2021 coup, with up to 15,731 estimated; 1,241 confirmed and up to 3,102 estimated deaths in the report year alone; and separately noted over 100,000 estimated deaths across all sides of the conflict since 2021. It found 3.6 million people displaced and 12.4 million facing acute food insecurity, with 400,000 children and mothers acutely malnourished. Satellite imagery showed 302 new illegal rare-earth mining sites in Kachin State since 2021 (a 149% increase) and a jump from 12 to 85 sites in Shan State, with illegal rare-earth trade to China peaking at $1.4 billion in 2023; scam compounds have expanded by building local infrastructure to win community favor. The report said both the military and the Arakan Army are committing systematic abuses against the Rohingya minority. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the findings depict 'a picture of suffering, misery, and cruelty ... that is heartbreaking,' and urged states and companies to reconsider involvement in Myanmar's extractive and scam economies.