Human rights in Myanmar hit 'new low,' fuelled by illegal mining and scam centres, UN warns

The already dire human rights situation in Myanmar has plunged to a "new low," the United Nations has warned, with illegal mining and scam centres fuelling the crisis.

The UN human rights office denounced the "ever-worsening brutal abuse" of the Rohingya minority and the "devastating impact" of illicit economies, including mining for rare earths.

Myanmar's ruling junta seized power in a coup on 1 February 2021 that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, ending a 10-year experiment with democracy and plunging the southeast Asian nation into bloody turmoil and a humanitarian crisis.

Over the past five years, more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed across all sides as the military battles an array of pro-democracy and ethnic-minority rebels.

Covering 1 June 2025-31 May 2026, the report "depicts a picture of suffering, misery, and cruelty on multiple levels and across the country that is heartbreaking," UN rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement.

"I call on all states, companies and investors to undertake serious soul-searching with respect to their actions, or inaction, to ask: is this fair and just for the people of Myanmar?"

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing took over as Myanmar's civilian president in April, surrendering the office of armed forces chief to a key aide.

Min Aung Hlaing is currently spearheading a diplomatic blitz to shake off Myanmar's post-coup pariah status and gain diplomatic recognition abroad, with trips to India, China, Laos and Thailand.

"The military's persistent quest for control and legitimacy has only deepened the suffering and the multiple life-threatening protection and humanitarian concerns civilians face," the UN report said.

"Military tactics aimed at imposing fear and control, facilitated by the use of new technologies to expand surveillance, permeate every aspect of life."

Scam centres expanding

The report highlighted military violence against civilians, through the persistent use of airstrikes, arson attacks and displacement.

It said the military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority rebel group, were committing widespread and systematic abuses against the Rohingya minority.

It also said illicit economies were helping to finance the conflict, with human rights crises multiplying due to illegal mining, drug production, human trafficking and scam centres.

James Rodehaver, head of the rights office's Myanmar team, said local communities have become increasingly dependent on the scam centres.

They are "building roads, schools and freshwater wells as a way to endear themselves to the local community" and increase their legitimacy, he told a press conference.

Financial investigations highlighted a complex web of illicit gains and impunity.

Despite the limited availability of official records, the report's findings suggested that mining extraction was largely undertaken for the neighbouring Chinese market, with a peak in trade flows in 2023 amounting to $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion).

Mining operations are resulting in "massive volumes" of hazardous chemicals flowing directly into local waterways, resulting in severe pollution and harming reproductive health, the report said.