At least 170 civilians killed in Myanmar airstrikes during election: UN

30-Jan-2026

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At least 170 civilians were killed in more than 400 military air strikes conducted in Myanmar during nearly two months surrounding its widely-criticised elections, the United Nations said on January 30.

Myanmar's month-long, three-phase vote, which wrapped up on Sunday, was imposed by the military in what democracy watchdogs dismissed as an attempt to rebrand army rule.

The UN rights office, which has been harshly critical of the elections, warned on Friday that they had failed to respect fundamental human rights and that military attacks on the population had continued unabated.

"These elections did not prevent violence from continuing throughout 2025," James Rodehaver, head of the rights office's Myanmar team, told reporters in Geneva.