Conflicts & War

8 civilians killed in military airstrike in Myanmar

Bangkok, Mar 31 (EFE).- At least eight people died, including two children, and dozens were injured in an airstrike by the Myanmar army in western Myanmar’s Chin state days, after the military regime warned it will “firmly appease” the armed resistance opposed to its rule.

The attack took place in Kwarpho village on Thursday morning, independent Myanmar news outlet, The Irrawaddy, reported.

“Two fighter jets came and attacked (the village). A civilian house took a direct hit. Eight people were killed immediately and a few others were injured. Some houses also went up in flames,” a member of the Chinland Defense Force told The Irrawaddy.

Ethnic minority groups operate in Chin state, which has a largely Christian population as opposed to the rest of Myanmar whose population is mostly Buddhist.

They are joined by the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of the rebel National Unity Government (NUG), which emerged after the military coup of Feb. 1, 2021.

At an Armed Forces Day parade in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Monday, the leader of the military junta, Min Aung Hlaing, warned that he will “firmly appease” the “terrorist” groups fighting against his regime.

The junta, which seized power after the coup, overthrowing the government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has branded the National Unity Government as a terrorist group.

The NUG, which claims to be the legitimate government of Myanmar, was formed after the coup in part by former lawmakers of Suu Kyi’s party.

Its armed wing, the PDF, has gained ground against the army in recent months.

This latest attack occurs in the midst of an escalation of violence by the military.

In the middle of March, some 30 people died near the capital, days after the death of another 15 in the central Sagaing region, according to rebel groups.

The coup plunged the country into deep political, social and economic crises and has opened a spiral of violence with new militias that have exacerbated decades of guerrilla warfare in the country.

Last week, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, said that more than 3,000 civilians have been killed, 1.3 million have had to flee their homes and 16,000 have become political prisoners since the coup, including Suu Kyi. EFE

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