Myanmar: Rebel Groups Allege Government Forces Using Chemical, Incendiary Weapons

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Facts

  • A report from Al Jazeera has alleged that Myanmar's military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has made use of weapons banned under international treaties in its fight against anti-coup militants.1
  • The article includes accounts from fighters and doctors who describe wounds as consistent with chemical and incendiary weapons and not with 'metallic foreign bodies' from conventional munitions.2
  • The junta has faced prior accusations of chemical weapon use, such as claims made by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army in November 2023 that a bomb dropped on them had caused dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms.3
  • Myanmar has been a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) since 2015 but has not ratified the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which prohibits weapons that cause 'unjustifiable suffering' to combatants or risk of indiscriminately harming civilians.1
  • There are also reports from groups such as the Free Burmese Rangers that the government has used incendiary weapons such as napalm and white phosphorous. Some analysts suggest that documented cases such as these could lead to sanctions and international pressure against Myanmar.2
  • The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has claimed that the junta, the State Administration Council, spent $253M on weapons between April 2023 and March 2024. Thai banks were responsible for processing most of the money spent.4

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2TheDailyGuardian, 3The Irrawaddy and 4Asia.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Lowy Institute. The truth is the first casualty of war, and the civil war in Myanmar has sparked outlandish claims from pro- and anti-junta sources. Propaganda and fake news have proliferated against every faction in this brutal war, and skepticism must rule the day when it comes to stories from Myanmar. If true, these allegations are horrific, but we cannot make a rash rush to judgment without confirmation on the ground.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Human Rights Watch. The world is not taking the atrocities in Myanmar seriously, as the death toll mounts outside of the consciousness of the world. Foreign banks have helped the junta evade sanctions and buy weapons to mete out destruction against their own civilians unabated. There is strong evidence of crime against humanity occurring on the ground, and the international community needs to wake up and starve the regime of money and legitimacy.

Predictions