Four years after the Burmese military’s attempted coup, we, Women’s Peace Network, remember the lives lost to our nationwide resistance; and reaffirm our commitment to freedom, justice, peace, and inclusive federal democracy for all in Myanmar.

The Burmese military is continuing to act in violation of international law and norms. It is launching airstrikes and ground attacks on civilian infrastructure – killing and injuring thousands of civilians including women, children, and the elderly. The military has also arbitrarily arrested and detainedat least 28,000 people in four years; among them, 21,700 people – including 4,160 women – remain imprisoned in squalid conditions. From their interrogation to imprisonment, these innocent civilians face the military’s torture and cruel or inhumane treatment, as well as denial of medical care and full legal support; women and LGBTQ+ detainees are targeted with rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence. More than 6,200 civilians have been killed since the attempted coup, including as a result of the military’s death sentences.

In Rakhine State, approximately 600,000 remaining Rohingya are being targeted with atrocities by the Burmese military and the Arakan Army (AA), while being caught in the crossfire of their exacerbating armed conflict. Rohingya civilians, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), are also being denied access to life-saving humanitarian aid; famine is increasingly imminent. In just 2024, over 7,800 Rohingya – an 80% increase from 2023 – attempted to flee Myanmar by boat.

Such intensifying atrocities – compounded by a worsening economic crisis, soaring levels of poverty, and the military’s forced recruitment – are leaving civilians with no choice but to flee to other areas of armed conflict, or neighboring countries. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees reports over 3.5 million civilians as internally displaced and 1.4 million as refugees from Myanmar, though the actual numbers are significantly higher according to local civil society. From internally displaced persons’ camps in Karenni and Karen states, to places of refuge in Thailand and Bangladesh, none of these civilians are ensured proper access to livelihoods or protection. Among them, women and girls in particular riskhuman trafficking and sexual and gender-based violence.

We ask the international community to comprehensively support Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, including by providing the necessary financial, material, and political support; avoid legitimizing the military as it attempts to hold sham elections; and take all measures to end the country’s decades-long cycle of impunity.

It is now time for the world to take actions as bold as our Spring Revolution.

February 1, 2025