BURMA (MYANMAR) COUNTRY PROFILE
In February 2026, Burma entered the sixth year of the civil war that followed the military junta coup. The military continues to perpetrate serious human rights violations, including attacks on religious sites, such as the Church of the Sacred Heart — intended to be the cathedral for the new Diocese of Mindat — which was bombed in February 2025. 32 Initially such attacks seemed to echo the targeting of ethnic Christian churches that occurred under pre-2011 military rule, 33 but quickly encompassed all religious groups. Despite the military’s association with Buddhist nationalism, 34 a significant number of Buddhist places of worship have been targeted, 35 including an airstrike on Sein Yadanar Monastery in March 2025. 36 While accurate figures are difficult to obtain, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that 379 religious sites were
destroyed — and 259 clerics and civilians in them killed — in 2025. 37 The Burma Research Institute estimated 343 Christian churches or buildings were attacked by junta soldiers from the start of the war until the end of 2025. 38 There is a history of discrimination against religious minorities in this predominantly Buddhist country which has fluctuated over the years. The civil war has had varied effects: in some areas Buddhist extremism has grown, elsewhere the opposite is true as the junta’s cruel treatment of the population has promoted solidarity among different groups irrespective of ethnicity or religion. In isolated incidents, ministers of religion have been kidnapped or even killed. Rev. Pau Muan Lian was seized before being forcibly conscripted in November 2025. 39
SELECTED INCIDENTS
December 20 to avoid conflicting with elections scheduled for the 28 th of the month. 41
FEBRUARY 2025 Less than a fortnight after it was chosen as the cathedral of the newly created Mindat Diocese, the Sacred Heart Church in Mindat, Chin State, was left in ruins by airstrikes. Attacks on the compound had been ongoing since the beginning of December 2024. MARCH 2025 Junta soldiers torched St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Banmaw, Kachin State, on the evening of March 16 — the day before the cathedral was scheduled to celebrate the feast of its patron saint. Over the previous weeks soldiers had destroyed other buildings in the cathedral complex including the presbytery, diocesan offices and a school. 40
FEBRUARY 2026 The World Council of Churches condemned a junta airstrike on the predominantly Christian village of Tlangkhua in Chin State on Tuesday, February 10. A missile hit near the new church building which was still under construction and most victims were members of the Mennonite Church. Among the dead were its deacon, treasurer and two youth leaders; and eleven other church members needed emergency medical treatment. 42 MARCH 2026 Politician and human-rights activist Dr. Sasa went on record, saying Christians in Chin State are second-class citizens, and experience problems accessing education and healthcare. He also highlighted historic atrocities committed by junta soldiers, including the rape of Chin Christian women. 43
DECEMBER 2025 Junta authorities ordered churches in Kachin State to hold Christmas celebrations before
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