Myanmar Witness

Collecting evidence of human rights abuses in Myanmar to hold those responsible to account.

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MAF Airstrike

Apr 28

Airstrikes continued to hit earthquake-stricken Myanmar despite SAC ceasefire

One month on from the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, open source analysis conducted by Myanmar Witness reveals how the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) continued to conduct airstrikes in the earthquake’s aftermath, despite the State Administration Council (SAC) calling a temporary ceasefire and national mourning period.

Airstrike

Mar 31

How four years of war reduced Myanmar cities and towns to rubble

Satellite imagery shows how fire, shelling and airstrikes have wrecked towns, cities and villages in resistance strongholds throughout the country.

Mar 18

Uncovered: The devastating impact of Myanmar’s rare earth mining boom

Satellite image analysis reveals how a rapid expansion of mining sites in the country’s northeast has altered the region’s physical landscape. The impacts are devastating – for both the environment and local communities.

Airstrike Fire Violence

Feb 20

Why is Sagaing the epicentre of Myanmar's conflict?

Since the 2021 coup, CIR’s Myanmar Witness project has been collecting and analysing data which shows cases of extreme violence and destruction throughout the country. According to Myanmar Witness’ findings, Myanmar’s central-northwestern Sagaing region is most heavily affected by the internal conflict, repeatedly showing the highest levels of violence in the entire country. This makes Sagaing the so-called “epicentre” of Myanmar’s conflict and a region facing an urgent humanitarian crisis. We explain:

Latest Reports

Environment

May 12

Unearthing the hidden costs: Myanmar's rare earth mining boom

Using open source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, which include satellite imagery analysis, social media monitoring and cross-verification, Myanmar Witness highlights the significant expansion of rare earth mining operations in Myanmar between 2018 and 2024.

SAC

Jan 21

Sentiment analysis of the online space for two distinct operations in Myanmar

An analysis of user sentiments in Burmese on TikTok and YouTube regarding two key military operations: Operation 1027, led by the Three Brotherhood Alliance in Shan State from October 2023, and the Myanmar military-led Yan Naing Min Operation, starting in early September in 2024. This work aims to understand how users express their opinions and emotions about these events and to reveal any patterns in the engagement between pro-military and anti-State Administration Council (SAC) actors across operations.

MAF

Jan 13

Myanmar's Air Force Day: A review of MAF’s claimed new acquisitions

On 15 December 2024, Myanmar marked the 77th anniversary of its Air Force Day. This report delves into the newly claimed additions to the MAF service along with a brief overview of the other aircraft present at the ceremony.

Airstrike

Dec 31

An epicentre of violence: A Sagaing region anthology

Through this vast reporting of Sagaing, Myanmar Witness has aimed to emphasise themes and tactics that show extreme violence and repetition.

Maps

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Myanmar Witness has created a number of maps in order to help researchers, journalists and CSOs explore evidence related to human rights incidents in Myanmar and see patterns and trends that have emerged since the coup.