As Myanmar's army faces setbacks, it is stepping up attacks on civilians, a UN expert warns

Bangkok, Thailand:Myanmar s military government is escalating violence against civilians as it faces more setbacks on the battlefield from a range of...

Bangkok, Thailand: Myanmar's military government is escalating violence against civilians as it faces more setbacks on the battlefield from a range of pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups, a U.N.-backed independent expert on human rights warned Wednesday.

Resistance to military rule in Myanmar has been gaining momentum, with the army on the run, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said at a news conference in Geneva after addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council a day earlier.

He acknowledged that "the world is obviously distracted by other crises around the world,” but that Myanmar’s situation offers ”a ray of hope” for restoring peace and democracy.

″The junta of Myanmar are like mushrooms,” he said. ”They thrive in the dark. And the more attention we can focus on this country, the greater the chance of success that we have.”

Myanmar’s military seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread nonviolent opposition that was met with deadly force. The repression gave birth to armed resistance and embroiled the country in a civil war.