Myanmar junta civilian killings surge under new commander: ACLED
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- ACLED reported Myanmar's military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since reconfiguring its command structure in March, with specialized groups of two to five jet fighters executing sustained airstrikes against single targets.
- Min Aung Hlaing appointed longtime loyalist and former spymaster Ye Win Oo as commander-in-chief days before becoming president following an election that barred most opposition.
- ACLED recorded more than a dozen mass killings in the first half of 2026, resulting in over 450 civilian fatalities, with around 40% occurring in the central dry zone known as the Anyar region.
- In May, roughly 700 junta troops swept through parts of Myit Chay township—across the river from the ancient temples of Bagan—killing at least 40 people, according to three area residents who spoke to Reuters.
- Under Ye Win Oo, the military has launched renewed offensives into several border regions, including a frontier area with critical rare earth deposits and other vital trade routes.
- Min Aung Hlaing traveled to India and China, while the 11-member ASEAN bloc—which barred Myanmar's ruling generals after the 2021 coup—has begun tentative re-engagement; he is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand on Aug. 6-7.
Why it matters: Min Aung Hlaing is simultaneously pursuing international legitimacy—courted visits to India and China, an upcoming Thailand trip on Aug. 6-7, and tentative ASEAN re-engagement—while ACLED documents over 450 civilian deaths in the first half of 2026 and renewed offensives into rare-earth-rich border regions, putting regional governments on notice that diplomatic rehabilitation is racing ahead of accountability for documented atrocities.
