Ajit Karn
According to a witness, a member of a local pro-democracy group, and independent media, Tuesday’s airstrikes by Myanmar’s military killed up to 100 people in sagaing including many children, who were attending a ceremony conducted by opponents of army rule.
The military is increasingly employing airstrikes to combat the widespread armed resistance to its rule, which began in February 2021 when it usurped power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Since then, it is estimated that more than 3,000 civilians have been slain by security forces.
A witness told The Associated Press that a fighter jet dropped bombs directly on a crowd of people gathered at 8 a.m. outside Pazigyi village in Kanbalu township, Sagaing region, for the inauguration of a local office of the country’s opposition movement. The region is located approximately 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of Mandalay, the second largest metropolis in Myanmar.
Approximately half an hour later, a helicopter appeared and opened fire on the scene, according to a witness who requested anonymity out of fear of being punished by the authorities.
Initially, the death toll was estimated to be in the vicinity of 50, but subsequent estimates by independent media increased it to approximately 100. Due to reporting restrictions imposed by the military government, it was impossible to independently confirm incident details. The assault was not immediately reported in state-controlled media. In the past, the military government has stated that it does not use excessive force.
The witness stated, “I was standing close to the crowd when a friend of mine called me to alert me to the approach of a fighter jet.” “The jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd, so I hid in an adjacent ditch. A few moments later, when I stood up and looked around, I observed individuals in the smoke who had been hacked to pieces and were dead. A fire devastated the office building. Roughly thirty individuals were injured. As the wounded were being transported, a helicopter approached and opened fire on additional individuals. We are now rapidly cremating the bodies.”
Approximately 150 people had congregated for the opening ceremony, and among the dead were women, 20 to 30 children, and leaders of locally formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organizations, he said.
The opposition National Unity Government said in a statement, “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 NUG asserts that it is the country’s legitimate administration, in contrast to the army. The Tuesday opening was a part of its administrative network.
If confirmed, the mortality toll from this attack could be the highest since the beginning of the civil war in 2021, when the army seized power. Last October, as many as 80 people were slain in another government air attack in northern Myanmar during an anniversary celebration of the primary political organization of the Kachin ethnic minority, which is also fighting the military government.
Myanmar has been in turmoil ever since the military coup sparked extensive popular opposition. As a result of the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrations, many opponents of military rule have taken up arms, and significant portions of the country are now in conflict.
The army has been conducting significant offensives in the countryside, including the destruction of villages and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Sagaing, the historic heartland of Myanmar, has posed some of the greatest challenges. The resistance forces are defenseless against aerial assaults.
In videos of the demolished village viewed by the Associated Press, survivors and onlookers can be seen stumbling through the area of the attack amidst thick clouds of smoke, with only the skeletal frame of a single structure visible in the distance. The videos were not immediately verifiable, but they were consistent with other descriptions of the scene.
Others were reduced to their frames or were buried beneath tree branches. In one area, two victims lay near together, and one of them was missing an arm.
In a small grove by the roadside, another victim lay face down. A small torso missing at least one limb could be seen a few meters distant.
In January, the top leader of Myanmar instructed the military to take decisive action against those who oppose army rule. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing stated at an Armed Forces Day military parade that those who criticized his government were indifferent to the violence committed by its opponents.
Resistance forces have been able to prevent the military from seizing control of large portions of the country, but they are severely outgunned, notably in their ability to repel air attacks.
Critics of the military government advocate prohibiting or restricting the sale of aviation petroleum to Myanmar in order to undermine the military’s air superiority. Several Western nations have imposed arms embargoes on Myanmar’s military government, and the United States and the United Kingdom have recently enacted new sanctions against individuals and companies involved in the supply of aviation fuel to Myanmar.
Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday stating, “The relentless air attacks across Myanmar demonstrate the imperative need to halt the import of aviation fuel. Amnesty International reiterates its appeal for all nations and companies to halt shipments that could end up in the hands of the Myanmar Air Force.
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The report also urged the United Nations Security Council to “push through effective actions to hold the Myanmar military accountable, including referring the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.”
