According to a witness, a representative of a local pro-democracy group, and independent media, airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of up to 100 people, many of whom were youngsters, who were attending a ceremony organised by opponents of army rule.
The military initiated an extensive armed uprising against its control in February 2021 when it overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, and it has since increased the use of airstrikes to combat this uprising. Since then, security forces are believed to have killed more over 3,000 civilians.
An eyewitness told The Associated Press that a fighter plane dropped bombs directly into a crowd of people waiting outside Pazigyi hamlet in the Kanbalu township of the Sagaing area to launch the local office of the country’s opposition organisation at 8 a.m. The region is located approximately 110 kilometres (70 miles) north of Mandalay, the second-largest city in the nation.
“I was standing a short distance from the crowd when a friend of mine contacted me on the phone about the approach of a fighter jet,” the witness added. “The jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd, and I jumped into a nearby ditch and hid. A few moments later, when I stood up and looked around, I saw people cut to pieces and dead in the smoke. The office building was destroyed by fire. About 30 people were injured. While the wounded were being transported, a helicopter arrived and shot more people. We are now cremating the bodies quickly.”
Women and 20-30 children were amongst the deceased, he claimed, adding that some 150 people had attended for the inauguration ceremony. ’This heinous act by the terrorist military is yet another example of their indiscriminate use of extreme force against innocent civilians, constituting a war crime,” the opposition National Unity Government mentioned in a statement.
If the attack’s death toll is confirmed, it could be the greatest in more than two years of civil war that have been going on since the army took over in 2021.
The human rights council Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday that “The relentless air attacks across Myanmar highlight the urgent need to suspend the import of aviation fuel. Amnesty reiterates its calls on all states and businesses to stop shipments that may end up in the hands of the Myanmar Air Force.”
It further urged the U.N. Security Council to “push through effective actions to hold the Myanmar military accountable, including by referring the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court.”
