NUG reports 139 killed by airstrikes across Myanmar in August
At least 139 civilians, including 18 children, were killed in 530 aerial attacks carried out by regime forces across 13 states and regions in Burma from Aug. 1-31, the National Unity Government (NUG) reported on Thursday. It added that 68 civilians, including seven children, were killed in eight mass killings in Chin, Karenni, and Arakan states, as well as Sagaing Region.
“The scale and pattern of these atrocities constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and international human rights law,” Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun stated in a letter on Aug. 21 to the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. He went on to accuse the military of killing 8,300 citizens and arbitrarily detaining over 31,500 since the 2021 coup.
The NUG has also documented 528 human rights violations, including extra judicial killings, forced labour, as well as the destruction of 126 homes, 17 religious buildings, 10 schools, and four medical facilities. The report follows the dissolution of its Ministry of Human Rights on Aug. 21—to be replaced with an independent human rights commission at an unknown date in the future.
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WFP offers emergency transport for flood relief in Myanmar
The World Food Programme (WFP) is offering a free emergency cargo transport service to strengthen humanitarian relief operations following severe monsoon flooding across Ayeyarwady and Sagaing regions. It aims to bypass critical transportation bottlenecks and accelerate the delivery of essential supplies to inundated, hard-to-reach communities.
“Beyond delivering our own food assistance, WFP is serving as the logistics provider for the wider humanitarian response. By opening our transport lines to our partners, we can collectively ensure that food, medicine, and shelter materials swiftly and safely reach those who need them most,” stated Michael Dunford, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Burma.
The WFP logistics service – free for U.N. partners to use – is initially focusing on Ayeyarwady’s Lemyethna, Yegyi and Ngathaingchaung townships, which were flooded after a major breach in the Ngawun River embankment on July 30. “When floodwaters isolate entire communities, logistics become the difference between success and failure of an operation,” Dunford added.
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Forced recruitment and conscription in Rakhine State
An unknown number of males, aged 18-45, and females, aged 18-27, have been forced to join the Arakan Army (AA) in territory seized following its offensive on Nov. 13, 2023, states the Center for Arakan Studies (CAS) in its report: “The Future of Arakan’s New Generation Amid Military, Political and Socioeconomic Crises.”
“Recruitment has been taking place in every township in [AA] controlled areas,” a resident of Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township told DVB on condition of anonymity. The AA introduced the “National Defence Emergency Provision” in March 2025 and began forcefully recruiting residents in AA-controlled territory into its ranks.
“People cannot leave to study or work unless they receive permission from the AA,” the Mrauk-U resident told DVB, adding that any youth eligible for service is stopped at checkpoints from leaving its territory and forced into military training. The CAS report also highlighted the use of the conscription law by the regime since 2024.
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News by Region
ARAKAN—The AA reported that there were no casualties after airstrikes were carried out by the Burma Air Force on Sittwe, Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships on Thursday. Ponnagyun and Rathedaung, 20-44 miles (32-70 km) north of the state capital Sittwe, were seized by the AA in 2024.
A Ponnagyun resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that everyone in the town was still hiding in bomb shelters anticipating more regime airstrikes. Artillery attacks were also carried out by Burma Navy vessels on Gwa and Thandwe townships on Sept. 3, according to the AA.
KACHIN—Four Burma Navy vessels were either destroyed or damaged by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on the Irrawaddy River in Shwegu Township on Wednesday. No casualties were reported. Shwegu is located 119-181 miles (191-291 km) southwest of the KIA headquarters in Laiza and south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.
A KIA source told DVB on the condition of anonymity that artillery attacks from the shore caused two naval vessels to sink, two supply boats to run aground, and around 100 military personnel to surrender. The naval convoy has been traveling from Mandalay to Bhamo Township since mid-August. Read the full article on our website
KAREN—Over 1,000 residents were forced to leave their homes in the state capital Hpa-An Township and take shelter at four temporary camps after the Thanlwin River breached its banks on Wednesday. An aid worker told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the residents were relocated before flooding occurred.
The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that the level of the river reached 27 feet (850 cm), exceeding the town’s critical threshold of 24 feet (750 cm) on Sept. 2. An unknown number of residents across three wards were displaced from their homes when the river overflowed on Aug. 11.
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