A report published on August 25, 2026, by an international human rights organization provides the most comprehensive account to date of how Myanmar's civil war has become intertwined with an illicit resource boom. The report documents that since the military seized power in February 2021, the junta has stepped up airstrikes on villages in mineral-rich regions such as Kachin, Shan and Kayah states, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. At the same time, illegal mining operations—controlled by the military, its cronies, and rival ethnic armed groups—are extracting jade worth an estimated $30 billion annually, along with gold and rare earth elements critical to global electronics supply chains.
The findings paint a grim picture of the human cost: civilians are routinely forced into labor in mining pits, subjected to extortion and artillery bombardment, and denied access to humanitarian aid. In many areas, the junta's air force has bombed settlements suspected of harboring opposition fighters, while armed groups impose their own taxes on miners and smugglers. The report's authors say the conflict economy is both a cause and a consequence of the war, making peace ever more elusive. 'The junta funds its military campaigns from mineral sales, and insurgent groups do the same,' the report notes. 'It is a self-perpetuating cycle of violence.'
Myanmar's military government has not commented on the report. The country remains in the grip of a bloody civil conflict that has killed tens of thousands and uprooted millions. China and Thailand, both neighbors and major buyers of Myanmar's natural resources, face increasing pressure to cut off funding to the warring parties by imposing tighter sanctions and traceability requirements on imported minerals. International advocacy groups are calling for a global embargo on Myanmar's jade and rare earths, though such measures have previously proven difficult to enforce.