Myanmar Military Kills 100 civilian

Over 100 people, including children, were reportedly killed by the military in Myanmar on April 12th, according to a witness from a pro-democracy group. The victims were attending a ceremony organized by opposition groups in Kanbalu township’s Sagaing region. The witness reported that a fighter jet dropped bombs directly onto the crowd, followed by a helicopter that opened fire.

Initially, the death toll was reported to be around 50, but it later increased to approximately 100, including leaders of locally-formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organizations. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the military government’s spokesperson, confirmed the attack but accused anti-government forces in the area of carrying out a violent campaign of terror.

The United Nations, the United States, and other countries have condemned the attack, and the opposition National Unity Government called it a war crime. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army takeover in February 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks, and the army has been conducting major offensives in the countryside. The military has faced some of the toughest resistance in Sagaing, in Myanmar’s historic heartland. The death toll from the attack could be the highest in more than two years of civil conflict.

As many as 80 people were killed last October in another government air attack in northern Myanmar on an anniversary celebration of the Kachin ethnic minority’s main political organization, which is also battling the military government.

Critics of the military government advocate banning or limiting the sale of aviation fuel to Myanmar to cripple the military’s advantage in air power. Many Western nations have imposed arms embargoes on the military government, and the United States and Britain recently enacted new sanctions targeting individuals and companies involved in supplying jet fuel to Myanmar.

The attack on Tuesday underscores the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, where the military junta has been clamping down on dissent and has been accused of committing numerous human rights abuses. Analysts for the UN and NGOs have gathered credible evidence of large-scale human rights abuses by the army, including burning entire villages and displacing over a million people, triggering a humanitarian crisis. The resistance forces have been able to prevent the military from taking firm control of large areas of the country but have a great disadvantage in weapons, particularly in countering air attacks.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army takeover in February 2021, which triggered widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks, and the army has been conducting major offensives in the countryside. The military has faced some of the toughest resistance in Sagaing, in Myanmar’s historic heartland.

The death toll from the attack could be the highest in more than two years of civil conflict. As many as 80 people were killed last October in another government air attack in northern Myanmar on an anniversary celebration of the Kachin ethnic minority’s main political organization, which is also battling the military government. The resistance forces have been able to prevent the military from taking firm control of large areas of the country, but have a great disadvantage in weapons, particularly in countering air attacks.

Critics of the military government advocate banning or limiting the sale of aviation fuel to Myanmar to cripple the military’s advantage in air power. Many Western nations have imposed arms embargoes on the military government, and the United States and Britain recently enacted new sanctions targeting individuals and companies involved in supplying jet fuel to Myanmar.

The attack on Tuesday underscores the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, where the military junta has been clamping down on dissent and has been accused of committing numerous human rights abuses.

As reported by a witness from a pro-democracy group, up to 100 people, including children, were killed by the military in Myanmar on April 12th. The attack occurred during a ceremony organized by opposition groups in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township.

According to the witness, a fighter jet dropped bombs directly onto the crowd, followed by a helicopter that opened fire. The death toll was initially reported to be around 50, but later increased to approximately 100, including leaders of locally-formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organizations.

The military government’s spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, confirmed the attack but accused anti-government forces in the area of carrying out a violent campaign of terror. However, the United Nations, the United States, and other countries have condemned the attack, and the opposition National Unity Government called it a war crime.

The military government often accuses pro-democracy forces of terrorism in response to accusations of abuses. Nevertheless, analysts for the UN and NGOs have gathered credible evidence of large-scale human rights abuses by the army, including burning entire villages and displacing over a million people, triggering a humanitarian crisis.

The attack on Tuesday is one of the deadliest in the country since the army took control in February 2021. The takeover triggered widespread popular opposition, and after peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms. Large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict, and resistance forces have no defense against air attacks. The army has been conducting major offensives in the countryside and has faced some of the toughest resistance in Sagaing, in Myanmar’s historic heartland.

The resistance forces have been able to prevent the military from taking firm control of large areas of the country, but they are at a great disadvantage in weapons, particularly in countering air attacks. Critics of the military government advocate banning or limiting the sale of aviation fuel to Myanmar to cripple the military’s advantage in air power. Many Western nations have imposed arms embargoes on the military government, and the United States and Britain recently enacted new sanctions targeting individuals and companies involved in supplying jet fuel to Myanmar.

The attack on Tuesday underscores the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, where the military junta has been clamping down on dissent and has been accused of committing numerous human rights abuses