YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s sham government is ramping up its aerial bombardment of civilian areas despite a severe nationwide fuel shortage that has grounded domestic commercial flights and paralyzed private transport.
Data from the Nyan Lin Thit Research Group reveals a disturbing paradox: as the country’s energy crisis deepens, the military’s use of airpower against its own people is actually increasing. Between March 6 and March 19, 2026, at least 50 airstrikes were documented across 33 townships, marking a rise from the 45 strikes recorded in the previous two-week period.
The human cost of this intensified campaign has been catastrophic. In the last 14 days, airstrikes have claimed the lives of at least 95 civilians—a significant increase from the 72 deaths reported in the preceding fortnight. The number of wounded has also surged, with 121 people injured compared to 92 in the previous period.
“The military’s priorities are crystal clear,” a CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) officer based on the border told MPA. “While the entire country is reeling from a fuel crisis and domestic airlines have been forced to suspend operations, the regime appears to have ample jet fuel reserved specifically for killing civilians.”
The escalation comes at a time when the sham government has imposed strict new limits on fuel purchases for private vehicles and businesses. Long queues at petrol stations have become a common sight across major cities, and the collapse of the domestic aviation sector has further isolated the country.
However, military analysts suggest that the junta is stockpiling imported jet fuel for its fleet of Russian and Chinese-made jets to compensate for its diminishing control on the ground. As resistance forces continue to make gains in rural heartlands, the military has increasingly relied on unguided “dumb bombs” and precision strikes to terrorize populations in areas it can no longer hold.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the sham government of war crimes, noting that the targets are frequently non-military, including schools, religious sites, and displacement camps. The latest report from Nyan Lin Thit reinforces these claims, showing that the strikes are systematically distributed across regions where opposition to military rule is strongest.
As the international community debates further sanctions on jet fuel imports, the reality on the ground in Myanmar remains grim. For the millions of civilians living under the shadow of the junta’s air force, the national fuel shortage has offered no reprieve—only a deadlier focus on the skies above.
