A/HRC/63/19 20. The Mechanism’s investigations also indicate that civilian casualties are further exacerbated by the Myanmar military’s increasing use of so-called “double tap” aerial attacks. This is a tactic whereby the Myanmar military conducts an initial attack, followed up shortly thereafter with further aerial attacks, seemingly in an effort to target first responders and individuals attempting to help the wounded or those attempting to flee to safety. The Mechanism is prioritizing the examination of such incidents in Chin and Kachin States and in Sagaing Region. (b) Killing of detained civilians and combatants during military operations 21. The Mechanism is also examining allegations of aerial attacks targeting detainees and persons hors de combat. During the reporting period, the Myanmar military carried out an increasing number of aerial attacks against detention facilities under the control of various non-State armed groups, notably in Rakhine, Kayah (Karenni) and Chin States and in Mandalay Region. The Mechanism is following up on credible sources that have reported that these attacks resulted in the deaths of Myanmar military personnel, their family members, including women and children, and civilian prisoners who were being held in the detention facilities. In one such incident, those killed included local residents detained on suspicion of being military informants, prison authorities, and medical staff of the non-State armed group in charge of the facility. 22. Additionally, the Mechanism is reviewing evidence of raids conducted by the Myanmar military on villages affected by ongoing hostilities, particularly in the Sagaing and Magway Regions. The evidence indicates that during such raids, the Myanmar military detained and subsequently tortured and killed civilians. During an early morning raid in Wunthot Township in Sagaing, a military column is alleged to have arrested a group of villagers, who were later found dead with stab and gunshot wounds. In another early morning raid in a village in Gangaw District, Magway Region, it is alleged that the military detained villagers in a house and shot them dead. (c) Sexual and gender-based crimes by the military and non-State armed groups 23. In Myanmar, as in many other countries, survivors of sexual and gender-based crimes typically face many challenges to reporting such crimes, including cultural and social stigma that deters survivors from reporting, and the lack of adequate psychosocial support services. However, despite the challenges, the Mechanism has collected credible evidence of such crimes against civilians of different ages and genders related to the ongoing armed conflicts in Myanmar. Much of this evidence relates to allegations of sexual violence, including rape and sexual assault, committed by members of the Myanmar military during operations. The Mechanism is examining evidence of sexual violence during arrest operations in Yangon and in the context of attacks in the lead-up to the military-managed elections in areas under the control of the Myanmar military, including the Mandalay Region. 24. The Mechanism is also examining allegations of sexual and gender-based crimes committed by non-State armed groups cooperating with the Myanmar military. During an early morning raid in Kanbalu Township in Sagaing Region in 2025, members of the Myanmar military and of a non-State armed group entered the villages of Thapye Thar and Kyaung Kone, where they reportedly arrested over a hundred villagers. During this raid, it is reported that a woman was drugged and gang-raped by members of the non-State armed group. 25. The Mechanism is also investigating reports of rape and sexual assault committed by members of the People’s Defence Forces and other non-State armed groups in different parts of Myanmar against members of their own factions where these crimes appear to be related to the armed conflict. The Mechanism has sought further information on these allegations from the non-State armed groups allegedly involved. Crimes related to unlawful detention and imprisonment 26. Credible information indicates that approximately 30,870 people have been arrested by the Myanmar security forces since the military coup in February 2021, of whom approximately 22,130 remained imprisoned as at April 2026. The majority of these arrests GE.26-09554 7