Pajau Media
15th February, 2025
Since the military took control on February 1, 2021, Kachin State has experienced extensive armed conflicts, leading to heightened concerns regarding the safety of its residents. Furthermore, military operations and assaults by armed factions have escalated daily, resulting in increasingly severe human rights abuses against civilians. Additionally, the breaches of international humanitarian law, which should be upheld during these conflicts, have intensified, resulting in the devastation of civilian lives, homes, and property.
In addition, the obstruction of waterways and roads commonly used by residents in Kachin State, along with the severing of phone signals and internet services, is being implemented in various localities. On July 21, 2024, all phone signals and internet connections were entirely disrupted across the state. Since September, phone service has been restored in certain cities housing government offices, and internet access is available at shops utilizing Starlink and IP Star Wi-Fi for approximately 20,000 to 30,000 kyats per hour. The disruption of these communication services has resulted in numerous human rights violations affecting civilians throughout Kachin State, occurring daily without public awareness.
Pajau Media's comprehensive investigation, both in the field and online, revealed that there were around 150 instances of human rights violations in Kachin State during the period from January to December 2024. Of these violations, approximately 106 were attributed to the military council and its affiliated militias, while about 39 were carried out by unidentified armed groups disguised as civilians. Furthermore, it was found that approximately 5 of these violations were perpetrated by civilians.
The aforementioned violations of human rights encompass the deployment of aerial drones to strike civilian regions, indiscriminate artillery bombardments utilizing heavy weaponry, arbitrary detentions of civilians, the incineration of civilian residences, gunfire directed at civilians, detonations of landmines, coerced conscription of young individuals, acts of torture, homicides, theft, and sexual assault against women.
The airstrikes and drone attacks conducted by the SAC on civilian villages have resulted in the deaths and injuries of at least 74 civilians, including children, over the past year. Notably, the airstrike on September 17 in the Hpakant Seng Tawng region accounted for the highest civilian casualties in 2024, claiming the lives of 30 individuals. Furthermore, the SAC's forces have not only invaded villages to steal valuables but have also engaged in the abduction, killing, use of civilians as human shields, and torture of a total of 225 civilians throughout the year. Additionally, on July 18, the SAC and its allied Shanni militia forcibly abducted 50 individuals from the Inndawgyi region for the purpose of recruiting new soldiers. Despite there not being any armed confrontations, the State Administration Council (SAC) and its affiliated militia groups perpetrated violations in regions not connected to the skirmishes. This included the arrest and torture of approximately 60 innocent individuals in Sar Maw village, located in Mogaung Township, on March 31, 2024. The SAC and militia forces intruded into the village and detained local residents while they were engaged in prayer at a church.
Furthermore, in 2024, the SAC forces set fire to 414 civilian homes in Kachin State. Notably, the destruction of seven villages in Tama Khan, which resulted in the loss of 393 homes on March 3, stands out as one of the most egregious acts of inhumanity perpetrated by the SAC.
There has been a significant rise in theft and armed robbery in Kachin State, compounded by severe human rights abuses and a deteriorating political climate. Furthermore, residents across Kachin State have been compelled to abandon their homes due to the volatile political environment and ongoing conflicts between two armed factions. In this tumultuous period, the valuables and livestock, including cattle and pigs, that individuals left behind have been stolen and have been killed by both thieves and the SAC forces.
The SAC has focused its actions on civilians and IDP camps, perpetrating a range of human rights violations and war crimes, which persist to the present day. The aforementioned surveys are derived from information gathered through on-the-ground reports and online investigations conducted by Pajau Media, and may not encompass human rights violations occurring in certain areas that are difficult to access.
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