As families lay peacefully in their beds on New Year’s Eve, the sound of a jet fighter ripped through the sky over Thar Kyin Village in Myanmar’s Mandalay Region. Moments later, the bombs hit, killing five people and leaving six more severely injured.

It was just one in a series of air and drone strikes launched by the country’s military on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, killing at least 20 and reducing homes and religious buildings to rubble.

Myanmar is a country that has been devastated by civil war, sparked by a 2021 military coup which saw a brutal military regime overthrow the partially democratic civilian government. For four years, civilians have been caught in the crossfire as armed militias battle the military junta for territory. As these battles take their toll and the military struggles to hold ground, it has increasingly turned to air power.

Over the past 12 months, airstrikes are estimated to have killed more than 500 civilians – and displaced thousands. In response, countries such as the U.S., the UK, and the European Union have attempted to cut off the flow of arms, aircraft, and jet fuel.

At the end of 2024, the UK government announced its latest round of sanctions against Myanmar businesses. They targeted corporations such as Asia Sun, Myan-Oil Company, and Rich Ray Trading, which have all been implicated in providing critical aviation fuel supplies that enable the junta’s airstrikes. The EU and Canada also announced their set of additional sanctions, which they said were aimed at increasing pressure on the junta and its associates.

However, the United Nations has called existing measures “grossly inadequate” and accused world leaders of lacking “the coordination and strategic targeting necessary.” The remarks, made in December, came as the civilian death toll crossed 6,000. One month earlier, Nicholas Koumjian, head of the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, warned the UN General Assembly that the “frequency and brutality of war crimes and crimes against humanity” are increasing.

Research by Amnesty International has found that Myanmar’s military is able to sidestep restrictions placed on domestic suppliers, such as Asia Sun, by working with international corporations operating with impunity. This includes fuel suppliers such as the Singapore-based Sahara Energy and the Chinese state-owned company CNOOC Trading. Furthermore, Amnesty has worked in partnership with Burma Campaign UK and Global Witness, to identify five UK-based insurance companies which provide cover for deliveries of aviation fuel.

When asked about expanding sanctions to include these British firms, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said they “do not speculate on potential future sanction designations.”

Another notable firm with ties to the junta is European aerospace giant Airbus, which is an investor in the Chinese state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) – a key supplier of aircraft used to commit war crimes in Myanmar. An investigation by Justice For Myanmar and Info Birmanie alleges that while other investors have withdrawn from AVIC due to its ties to Myanmar’s military, Airbus has increased its investment and collaboration with the company. Airbus’ key shareholders are the governments of Spain, Germany and France. These governments have repeatedly condemned Myanmar’s ongoing war crimes and spoken of the need to stop the flow of arms, yet they have been silent on Airbus’s collaboration with AVIC.

In December, Justice for Myanmar revealed the military regime recently brought into service as many as eight new aircraft supplied by AVIC.

“With ongoing credible documentation and reporting at the UN of the human rights crisis in Myanmar, Airbus must have known that its key business partner AVIC is supplying aircraft, weapons, and ongoing technical maintenance services to the junta in Myanmar,” said Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar. “Airbus and its state shareholders must end the flow of arms from AVIC to the genocidal Myanmar military, or ensure Airbus ends it business with AVIC for good. How can we take the condemnations of Spain, Germany, and France seriously, if they have investments that sustain the junta in Myanmar?”

Johanna Chardonnieras, coordinator for the French advocacy group Info Birmanie, added the French, Spanish, and German governments have a responsibility and duty to act when Airbus’ partner and investee is linked to war crimes, saying these governments need to show action in line with public statements.

Airbus has denied any wrongdoing, stating it is “aware of and in compliance” with all relevant sanctions in relation to Myanmar. “Airbus has not supplied defence products to Myanmar or its armed forces,” a spokesperson said. “Airbus is committed to conducting its business ethically and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This includes the delivery of defence products in accordance with export control laws and in full transparency and alignment with authorities and relevant stakeholders.”

Further criticism of the international community’s failures over Myanmar have focused on the UN Security Council, and specifically the UK’s role on the council. As penholder for Myanmar, the UK has the responsibility to lead negotiations and draft resolutions, yet Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called the council’s silence “astonishing” and urged the council to mobilise to prevent further atrocities. It highlights that UN officials have been “ringing alarm bells,” including warning of “genocidal violence.”

Akshaya Kumar, director of crisis advocacy at HRW, said the council has not held an open meeting since April 2024, and the last resolution to be adopted on Myanmar was in 2022. “In contrast, both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly have adopted a series of stronger but nonbinding resolutions on Myanmar, including calls for an embargo on arms and jet fuel to the military junta,” Kumar added.

The FCDO has defended its positions, explaining it has convened three UNSC meetings on Myanmar this year, which included addressing human rights violations and calling for humanitarian action.