Photo Set: Shelling of villages in Southeast Burma by the Burma Army, the BGF, and other affiliated armed groups, and its impacts (January to November 2025)

Photo Set: Shelling of villages in Southeast Burma by the Burma Army, the BGF, and affiliated armed groups, damaging homes, community buildings, farmland, and infrastructure (January–November 2025) In 2025, as the Burma military regime1 ’s shelling into civilian areas has continued, villagers have increasingly faced loss of life and injury, and the destruction of their homes and farmlands. Between January and November 2025, the Karen Human Riအခghts Group (KHRG) documented 1,308 evidentiary photographs showing the impacts of the State Administration Council (SAC) 2 ’s shelling, including casualties among villagers and damage to villagers’ houses, community buildings, and farmlands.3 Such attacks have caused suffering to villagers and long-term impacts on their lives. In addition, shelling has also been carried out by the Border Guard Force (BGF)4 and Pyu Saw Htee5 groups. In some incidents, the Burma Army launched artillery fire indiscriminately into villages after receiving attacks by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)6 and the People’s Defence Force (PDF)7 , while in other cases the Burma Army shelled villages even when no fighting was taking place. These attacks have caused civilian casualties (including children) and the destruction or damage of key livelihood assets, including homes, rice barns, household items, savings, livestock, farms and plantations, agricultural equipment, vehicles, and businesses and workplaces. Due to such attacks, villagers are forced to live under insecurity and constant danger: whether they are at home, in schools, churches, monasteries, working in their farmlands, or traveling, they remain exposed to risk and live in a state of fear. Villagers draw on their agency and resilience by seeking refuge in the forest and building shelters in displacement sites. This Photo Set includes a selection of 64 photos from all seven districts of the locally-defined Karen State8 : Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton), Taw Oo (Toungoo), Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin), MerguiTavoy, Mu Traw (Hpapun), Dooplaya, and Hpa-an districts. These photos were taken by local villagers, as well as by community members who have been trained by KHRG to monitor the human rights situation in their respective local areas. The names of the victims, their photos, and the exact locations are censored for security and sensitivity reasons.