Civilian deaths soar amid military air strikes during Myanmar poll

International

EVEN as ballots were cast, bombs fell.

The United Nations reports that at least 170 civilians were killed in military air strikes during Myanmar’s recent election, highlighting the deadly conditions under which the vote took place.

The UN human rights office said in a BBC report that “credible sources” had documented the deaths alongside 408 aerial attacks carried out by the military from December 2025 until the conclusion of the election’s third and final round last week.

The election has been widely condemned as a sham by foreign governments and human rights organizations.

According to state media, the military-backed Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) claimed an overwhelming victory—a result many observers had anticipated given the tightly controlled nature of the vote.

Large portions of Myanmar were unable to hold voting due to a civil war triggered by the 2021 military coup that removed and imprisoned the country’s democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Her party, the National League for Democracy, which had won decisive victories in the two elections preceding the coup, was barred from participating.

UN rights chief Volker Turk described the election as “staged by the military.” He noted that opposition candidates and some ethnic groups had been excluded, and that many citizens voted—or abstained—out of fear, in clear violation of their internationally guaranteed civil and political rights.

James Rodehaver, head of the UN Human Rights Myanmar team, said the civilian death toll was counted from the start of the election campaign in December through the final day of voting in late January. He explained that these figures, drawn from open sources, are likely incomplete because communications are often cut off and people in conflict zones fear speaking to investigators, AFP reported.

Turk also highlighted that conflict and insecurity continued unabated across large parts of the country, underlining that the election unfolded amid persistent violence and instability.

Many analysts believe the military junta intends to use the vote to cement control through proxy political parties, raising concerns that Myanmar’s fragile path toward democracy remains severely obstructed.(MyTVCebu)