This Wednesday an air strike by the Myanmar military junta left nearly 100 dead in a village in the center of the country. As the government itself has acknowledged, the attack was carried out to dismantle a clandestine meeting of the People’s Defense Armed Forces (PDF), an opposition militia that demands the return of democracy. The bombardment resulted in the death of dozens of civilians, including children.
Clouds of thick smoke and the skeleton of a building. They are the remains that were left in Kanbalu, in central Myanmar, after an attack by the military junta on Wednesday. The government air attack against an act allegedly organized by the opposition, specifically by the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) militia, left nearly 100 dead, according to independent media. Something that shows that, since the military coup of February 2021, the country continues to be plunged into a strong social crisis and in full internal conflict.
According to local media reports -such as the Burmese BBC or the news portal irrawaddy-, the number of fatalities exceeds 100, including civilians and also children.
Through an appearance on the junta’s television channel, its spokesman, Zaw Min Tun, confirmed that the government had carried out the attack and was directed against a ceremony held by the Government of National Unity (GUN) – an Executive parallel unrecognized by the military – for his militia Armed Forces for the Defense of the People.
“During that opening ceremony, we carried out the attack. PDF members were killed. They oppose the government of the country, the people of the country. According to our information on the ground, we reached the place where they stored their weapons, which exploded and caused the death of several people,” Min Tun said.
Regarding the civilians, he assured that they died for “helping the terrorists.”
“This atrocious act by the terrorist Army is one more example of its indiscriminate use of extreme force against innocent civilians, which constitutes a war crime,” declared the Government of National Unity in this regard.
It is not the first time that the military junta has acted in this way, since one of its objectives to end the opposition is to dismantle all clandestine meetings, but it is one of the deadliest attacks of this type to date.
“I saw the bodies of several children who had been blown up about 30 meters from the building (…) The junta planes flew over the town and shot at everyone from all angles, aiming at places where civilians might be hiding. “, said a witness to the events who did not want to be identified to the media outlet Radio Free Asia (RFA).
For an officer of the opposition People’s Defense Force militia, present during the attack, the message that the military junta wanted to send is clear: “They will do anything to dissuade the people from establishing a democratic government”.
Concern of the international community
Far from Myanmar, the news has caused unrest among the international community, which has closely followed the internal conflict since the coup in 2021. Following what happened, the United Nations and some countries, such as the United States, have strongly condemned the attack and they have pledged to hold the military accountable.
The general secretary of the DD office. H H. UN chief Volker Turk said he was “appalled” by the deadly airstrikes. “Among the victims, there were children who were dancing,” he said.
António Guterres, the UN Secretary General, also condemned the events and demanded responsibility.
“I reiterate my call on the military to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on behalf of Guterres during a press conference.
Critics of the military government advocate banning or limiting the sale of jet fuel to Myanmar, thus eroding the army’s air advantage over insurgents. Many Western countries have imposed arms embargoes against the military Executive, others such as the United States or the United Kingdom have launched new sanctions against people and companies involved in the supply of jet fuel to Myanmar.
Initial reports on deadly air strikes in Sagaing Region are horrifying. The relentless air attacks across Myanmar highlight the urgent need to suspend the import of aviation fuel.
https://t.co/MmzU9hd3jD— Amnesty International (@amnesty) April 11, 2023
“The relentless airstrikes in Myanmar highlight the urgent need to halt the importation of aviation fuel. Amnesty reiterates its call on all states and companies to stop shipments that may end up in the hands of the Myanmar Air Force,” highlighted Amnesty International, organization that defends human rights. HH., this Wednesday.
There are many who ask for the intervention of the UN Security Council with more sanctions and even the opening of an investigation in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute responsibilities. The objective of these lawsuits is to try to prevent the masterminds of these mass murders of civilians from going unpunished.
Chaos in Myanmar, a social crisis that does not stop
Using methods such as airstrikes, more than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces since the junta seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
After the peaceful demonstrations against the junta were repressed with violence and murders by the Army and the Police, many opponents took up arms to try to restore democracy in the country, which is why many areas are now involved in conflicts.
The Army has carried out major offensives in the countryside, razing entire villages and even schools. The Sagaing region, where this latest attack took place, is the historic heart of Myanmar and one of the areas where resistance to the government is strongest.
“These violent attacks further underscore the regime’s disregard for human life and its responsibility for Myanmar’s grave political and humanitarian crisis,” said Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman for the State Department.
Several United Nations analysts, together with non-governmental organizations, have gathered sufficient evidence on the abuses against DDs. H H. on a large scale by the Army, such as the burning of entire towns and the displacement of more than a million people.
If confirmed, the death toll from Tuesday’s airstrike could be the highest in the more than two years of civil conflict since February 2021. And it comes just a day after a government jet bombed a high school in the Falam municipality – in the west of the country – which claimed the lives of at least nine civilians and injured four others, according to residents.
With AP, Reuters and local media
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