Atrocity Alert is a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect highlighting situations where populations are at risk of, or are enduring, mass atrocity crimes.

THREAT OF RETURN TO LARGE-SCALE CONFLICT IN YEMEN AMID MAJOR ESCALATION

Following months of heightened tensions, on 3 September the Houthis launched a widespread offensive against Saudi Arabia-backed Yemeni government forces in Taiz governorate, seeking to seize strategic areas along Yemen’s western coast. In the days since, fighting has dramatically expanded across several governorates, while the Houthis have intensified attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and reportedly assumed control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline. According to the International Organization for Migration, over 100,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since the start of September, further compounding a crisis in which more than half of the population relies on aid and faces acute food insecurity.

The past two weeks have marked one of the gravest escalations after years of reduced hostilities since the UN-brokered truce in 2022. During an emergency UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the situation on 10 September, Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, warned, “The question before the international community is no longer whether Yemen’s war will resume, but how to address a new and more dangerous phase – one whose consequences, if left unchecked, will not stay within Yemen’s borders.” Grundberg also stressed that the risks he outlined to the Council a month prior amid mounting tensions had now “turned into a harsh reality” and urged for Yemen not to “slip from the Council’s attention.”

The latest escalation follows a deterioration in tensions since July, when an Iranian aircraft landed in Yemen – reportedly for the first time in a decade – and allegedly transported a Houthi delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader. The Yemeni government denounced the landing as a violation of national sovereignty and requested an emergency UNSC meeting to address Houthi violations of Council resolutions. On the day of the meeting, Yemeni government forces, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, launched attacks on the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent additional Iranian aircraft from landing. The Houthis subsequently launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, while fighting intensified throughout August. Dozens of casualties have since been reported, including from a Saudi strike on a prison in Yemen, a Houthi strike on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia and clashes between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces.

The international community must take decisive action to confront a return to large-scale conflict in Yemen, prevent further regional escalation and uphold civilian protection. States should support urgent diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the fighting and preserve prospects for a political process. They must also resolutely denounce attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by all parties to the conflict, ensure accountability for violations and scale up financial support for Yemen’s humanitarian appeal.

BELARUS’ CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WEAPONIZED AS AN “INSTRUMENT OF REPRESSION”

The UN Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus warned on 15 September that the authorities have weaponized Belarus’ criminal justice system as an “instrument of repression” to systematically suppress dissent and fundamental freedoms and persecute perceived opponents. Karinna Moskalenko, Chair of the Group of Independent Experts, said, “Criminal justice processes are an integral part of a broader machinery of repression.” The repression extends beyond political opposition to human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers who defend people targeted by the authorities.

The warning comes just days after the Minsk City Court sentenced human rights lawyer Dmitry Laevski to three years in prison on charges of “aiding extremist organization” and “discrediting” Belarus. According to Human Rights Watch and the Viasna Human Rights Center, the charges were linked to interviews Laevski gave to independent media about political trials, including those of opposition politician Viktar Babaryka and lawyer Maksim Znak, and the treatment of lawyers representing political prisoners. Laevski gave the interviews before the outlets were designated “extremist,” and prosecutors did not present evidence that his statements were false. He had previously represented Ales Bialiatski, the prominent human rights defender and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate.

Laevski’s imprisonment is part of a broader crackdown on the legal community in Belarus. Human Rights Watch says at least six other lawyers remain behind bars and dozens have lost their licenses on politically motivated grounds. The case illustrates the UN expert’s warning that Belarus’ “machinery of repression” remains operational not only against political opponents, but against those who defend them.

Although Belarus has released dozens of political prisoners following negotiations with the United States (US) and recently pushed for the lifting of remaining US sanctions, the releases do not demonstrate broader human rights improvements and should not mask the staggering scale of ongoing repression. Bialiatski was among those released in December and expelled to Lithuania. Echoing documented patterns of transnational repression, his release did not end the persecution. In August he was placed on the Commonwealth of Independent States’ interstate wanted list at the request of Belarus’ Ministry of Internal Affairs. More than 5,000 Belarusians, including human rights defenders, journalists and activists, have reportedly been placed on this list.

The Belarusian government must immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, halt politically motivated prosecutions and guarantee that civil society can carry out its work without fear of reprisal. The international community must maintain scrutiny of the human rights situation in Belarus and take all appropriate measures to advance accountability and protect victims. Any diplomatic concessions and sanctions relief should be tied to measurable structural changes, including an end to politically motivated prosecutions, legislative reforms and meaningful accountability for possible crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations.

MYANMAR’S MILITARY SEEKS LEGITIMACY WHILE COMMITTING ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILIANS

While addressing the UN Human Rights Council on 7 September, High Commissioner Volker Türk deplored the deepening crisis across Myanmar (Burma), noting that credible sources verified more than 1,200 civilian killings from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026, with airstrikes remaining the primary cause of deaths. Open sources indicate the true figure may exceed 3,000 civilian deaths. In July and August alone, local monitors documented 27 airstrikes across Rakhine and Chin states that killed 53 civilians and injured 163 others. According to High Commissioner Türk, forced conscription has also become a key tactic for the military “to sustain its advances on the battlefield, control the population, and spread fear.”

High Commissioner Türk also emphasized, “The catastrophic situation of the Rohingya is a wound that affects the entire country.” Last month marked nine years since the military’s genocide of the Rohingya in Rakhine State. Today, Rohingya remaining in Rakhine face widespread and systematic abuses by both the military and the Arakan Army, including killings, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced recruitment and forced labor. The UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) reported that more than 154,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since early 2024, joining nearly one million refugees who still cannot safely return home.

Despite this deteriorating crisis, the military continues efforts to secure international legitimacy. The junta’s sham elections excluded opposition candidates, displaced civilian populations, while voting took place in only 263 of 330 townships. High Commissioner Türk described the elections as an attempt to gain international recognition and warned that normalizing relations without changes in the military’s conduct would fuel further violence against civilians.

Meanwhile, on 8 September the UN General Assembly appointed the new Credentials Committee, a nine-member body of member states responsible for examining the credentials of representatives to the UN. Five days later, the military-backed authorities announced that they had revoked the status of Myanmar’s Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun. For five years, the General Assembly has deferred competing credentials claims, allowing Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, appointed by the democratically elected government before the 2021 coup, to continue representing Myanmar.

The Credentials Committee and General Assembly should reject any attempt to transfer Myanmar’s UN representation to the military-backed authorities and ensure Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remains in place. Member states should also avoid actions that confer legitimacy on the military and halt transfers of arms, aviation fuel and dual-use items that facilitate attacks on civilians. The international community must also support accountability for atrocities through the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice and the IIMM and increase humanitarian assistance for Rohingya and other affected communities.