The ruling junta of Myanmar has confirmed that it conducted an airstrike on a village in which at least 100 people, including numerous children and journalists, were slain.
The ruling junta of Myanmar has confirmed that it conducted an airstrike on a village in which dozens of people were reported to have been slain, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and other nations.
It is unknown how many people were killed in the Tuesday morning assault on the remote Kanbalu settlement in the central Sagaing region. The junta acknowledged the attack late Tuesday night, but did not specify the number of fatalities.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, a fighter jet reportedly dropped explosives directly on a crowd of approximately 150 people. Women, infants, and leaders of locally organised anti-government armed groups and other opposition groups were among those killed. Approximately 30 minutes after the initial assault, a helicopter arrived and opened fire on the location, according to the report.
The opposition National Unity Government characterised the attack as a “heinous act by the terrorist military” and “another instance of their indiscriminate use of extreme force against innocent civilians, constituting a war crime.”
A military government spokesperson stated, “A (People’s Defence Force) office opening ceremony took place in the Pazi Gyi village on Tuesday morning around 8 a.m.” In opposition to the army, the People’s Defence Force is the armed wing of the National Unity Government, which claims to be the country’s legitimate administration. The spokesperson also attributed some of the fatalities to People’s Defense Force-laid mines.
Despite not confirming a death toll, the United Nations stated that a large number of people had been killed, and Turk accused Myanmar’s military of violating “clear legal obligations… to safeguard civilians in the conduct of hostilities” once again.
According to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemns today’s attack by Myanmar Armed Forces.” The spokesman added that Guterres “reiterates his call for the military to cease its campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country.”
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that he was “horrified” by the fatal air attack, which he claimed murdered students performing dances, and he demanded that those responsible be held accountable.